The Wheel Manifesto
by Q.T. Andrea
Summary: [OFF Hiatus!] Earth has been invited to another Race, and it's up to Eva to win it. As Eva weaves her own adventure new friends and enemies, she realizes the choices she must make influences something much greater than just herself. [pairings later]
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters in Oban: Star-Racers. I do, however, own how they feel, act, and otherwise in my fic :)

**A/N:** Hello and hello, fellow writers and readers of The time has finally come for me to start my own Oban fic. I've seen the show and read many fics already, so I decided it was time to give it a go myself. This is slightly AU, although it does follow the storyline of OSR. I'm rather new at writing, and my literary skills have only just started to bud, so please be moderate with the reviews (that I am dying to receive). Constructive criticism is more than welcome, but please, give me your suggestions in a respective, polite manner or I'm afraid I'll look it over.

Now, back to my fic. This is just a quick prelude of what's to come. Let me know what you think! Reviews are wanted, if only to say that the plot sounds good and/or bad.

I've also managed to write up the first chapter, so I'll get that up, too. It'll probably raise a lot of questions in your minds, but they'll be answered as the fic goes along.

Anyway, enough with my ramblings and on to the fic. Enjoy :)

—Andrea

**The Wheel Manifesto—Prelude**

It's been a whole, solid year since the Great Race of Oban, but still Eva Wei can't get her mind back to Earth. It's not that she's stuck in the past, it's just that ever since her return Earth, normal life just seems so…boring. Uneventful. Bland. And the fact that Earth rules restrict her from any _real_ racing until she was seventeen didn't help either—and she was _way_ too good for the minor leagues.

Seemingly unexpectedly, Earth is invited to attend a racing festival on the famous trading planet of Wheel, where Racing means power. Wheel has recently attempted to break off from their current allies, the Order of Bavel, and _every_ planet in the galaxy wants a chance to be allied with the strong and influential alien export planet. Even the Scrubs are giving it a go. The people of the now-democratic Wheel have decided to settle their alliances the good ol' fashion way—racing. Eva is chosen as the human pilot—along with her new gunner, Trent, to race for the powerful—and, indeed, fruitful relations with Wheel.

Unfortunately, the Order of Bavel has also sent their own elite racer, and if that racer wins, than Wheel will continue to be under their monopolizing control. Not to mention the threat of other racers, both new and old. The Crog Empire will also, no doubt, be racing for the extreme power—which means the newly broken-off planet of Nourasia will be sending a certain Prince there as well. Many other planets and important and influential galactic icons will also be racing as well. Still, Eva will _not_ be deterred from her goal; to capture the alliance of the people of Wheel—or at least stop the Crogs from obtaining it.

Barely after her arrival on Wheel, however, Eva is suddenly vacuumed into a world of politics that she is unsure of. Old enemies and newfound friends reveal themselves to Eva behind every nook and cranny of Wheel, along with uncanny challenges that she's never faced before. But still, Eva _must_ win for Earth. After all, the fact is that whoever is allied with Wheel controls all of the trading functions—the exports of food, weaponry, advanced technology, and anything else you need to sustain life.

The price of Wheel does not come lightly, but as Eva discoverers, Wheel and the Order of Bavel itself is not all that it seems. On top of all of that, Eva is forced to try and understand the unfamiliar web of lies and truths that is politics, struggle with a romance that keeps distracting her that can never seem to work out, and face the very real possibility that if she doesn't win the Races of Wheel, Earth—as long with many, many other Solar Systems—could be in_ big_ trouble.

Well, that's all! I'll get my first chapter up as soon as possible! R&R please!


	2. The Meeting

**Discalimer:** I do _not_ own Oban: Star Racers, or this fic would be premiering on television. I DO, however, own the Wheel, the idea and figures of the Order of Bavel, and the plotline!!! sticks out tongue So _there_, Savin! (Still loving him!!!)

**A/N:** Alright, so this chapter is very short and doesn't really have anything to do with Eva yet. But as you read, try to pick out and piece together the tidbits that _will_ come in handy as the plot continues. Read and Review to let me know what you think of it! PLEAAASSSSEEEEE R&R!

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**Chapter 1: The Meeting.**

"_Earth_? You want us to invite Earth?" Fjord repeated, as if he had not heard right. His metallic mouth was formed into a half-frown. He moved one bronze, robotic hand to scratch his head, which caused the oddest noise of clashing metal to be emanated off of the Meeting Room walls and disappear into the high ceiling of the Room. "I'm sorry, but it's simply an impossibility to—"

"What my Comrade is trying to say, is that we have never dealt with these Earthlings before." A gentle yet firm voice emerged from the wreathed clad-iron lips of Llew the Wise. He threw Fjord a hard look. It was true that Fjord was young for a Wheel, only entering his ninety-sixth year and still new to the secrets of the Galaxy. But still, to protest to such a high figure was never a good idea, and the manner in which he spoke was not very polite either. "Not in direct contact, anyway." Llew continued, his voice slow and steady, yet nobody in the Meeting room grew impatient. Such was the way of the Wheel. " They have never played an important role in the galactic power struggle. Why would they start now? Are you quite certain that this will help my people, and that you are not merely acting upon a whim?" This Wheel was different than the first who had protested. He was much older, with a hunched back that had rusted with age. His metal was only that of iron, not the new bronze and gold that his newer brethren were built out of. However, he wore the Red and Blue robes that signified him as an Ancient, to be upheld in the highest respect. Nobody really knew how old Llew was—just that he was the wisest robot ever to be functional. "It just doesn't seem to add up. Perhaps if you were to explain more…" another Wheel added in, her voice a bit hopeful, but mostly encased in wonder and puzzlement. The being before them sighed. "This may not seem like a very wise choice now, but I assure you, this will all play out right. You just need to trust me." The Wheel that had spoken last—Greet, as her name was, bowed her bronze head. "Of course." She assured their guest. "The Wheel are honored that you have even thought of releasing us from our prison."

"And anyway," Fjord added in, rather bluntly, although not disrespectfully. "It would be most unwise to disregard the voice of the Avatar." Most of the Wheel around the Meeting Table shook their heads in exasperation, although some of them chuckled at the only youth before them. They could all search their circuitry for the time that they were as foolish as he.

If the Wheel thought that the Avatar would be insulted however, they need not have worried. The Avatar—Jordan, a human who was affiliated with the Great Race of Oban, as they had learned—laughed wryly. It had taken him awhile to get used to his newfound power and position, but he had the feeling he had grasped the idea well enough. That was the reason, after all, that he was here today. Avatar duty. He had to see to it that the race of Wheel, and indeed, the planet Wheel itself was secure. Normally, the Avatar was not allowed to interfere with any planet's fate directly. Still, the Creators all agreed that a loophole could be condoned in this particular case.

The Wheel, to date, are the most important race in the Universe; they were the sole race that have been alive—or rather, conscience is a better term—since after the Creation Wars, in which Kanaletto was ultimately sealed. They were also the only race to comprehend and know most of the secrets of the galaxy, even if they were sworn to secrecy by the very first Avatar. And although the Wheel at first glance were just your ordinary, robot alien race who were the best and strongest traders in the Galaxy, they were really so much more than that. The knowledge that the Wheel possessed and used for the purposes of their Trading companies would be invaluable to any other race. The problem was, that these secrets could also help achieve other things—such as Galactical Domination. Sadly, most planets these days had yielded to the power of greed, and no race other than the Wheel could be trusted with such secrets—the foundation of the Universe itself, even the fabric of time.

The Wheel were the only race able to hold these secrets because they were the only pure, undefiled race. All Wheel were honest; no Wheel killed any living thing, nor were they allowed violence. All Wheel focused on the greater good, and were never drawn in by the idea of politics. Such was the way of the Wheel. Personally, Jordan viewed them as the ideal race to hold the Secrets—not only because of the genuineness and morale, but because they had the proper respect and good intention that other races did not have.

Now that Jordan was the Avatar, he was one of the only beings in the Universe who understood the true extent of the Wheel. Unfortunately, there was another who recently found out the potential the Wheel's knowledge has. This being was a woman Delphite by the name of High Priestess Terraes(1), who was the current leader of the Order of Bavel. The Order of Bavel was constructed out of three Sisterhood planets, Delphie, Kandor, and Ernite. These three planets interlinked with each other, sharing one faith, one community, and one leader—known as the One, or High Priest or Priestess. The religions of the Order could be considered very extreme by some, which has led to quite a few wars with them. They have never lost, and all of their combatants eventually joined the Order and became part of the One. Fortunately, Jordan knew enough to be able to predict the outcome of Terraes's plans; and it wasn't good.

This was why, only a few months ago, Jordan had come to the Wheel in person and gave them his proposal. If the Order of Bavel—who currently were allied with the Wheel—manipulated the Wheel for their own selfish reasons, they could potentially seize control of the whole Galaxy. Jordan could not permit this uprising of power, both morally and by Avatar duty. He had appeared to them quite suddenly, although the older ones did not seem that surprised. Jordan informed him of Terraes's dangerous knowledge, and advised them to break the alliance with them. Normally, he would not have taken such drastic measures, but in the case of the Wheel it was necessary. Amongst the basic rules of the Wheel, there was the Service to Allies Act, which states that the Wheel would supply and help their allies as long as it was for the ally's greater benefit, and not for the sake of ruthless violence. Another rule is the Anti-Violence Act, which states that the Wheel were forbidden to ever engage in combat or slay another living thing. Such was the way of the Wheel. The major issue was that although the Wheel were very pure and abided by their rules religiously, they were about the only race that was so. Even the Order of Bavel, once the purest and greatest society, have succumbed to greed and corruption. And unfortunately for the Wheel, loopholes were too easily found in their rules, and they would be unable to fight back if the Order of Bavel decided to use them, and would be forced to comply.

All of this was running through Jordan's mind right now, and as he looked around the Meeting Room, with it's cubistic never-ending walls and it's dull, grey color, he was quite sure that he was doing the right thing. The dark red Meeting Table, where all of the noblest and smartest Wheel—as well as their newest addition, the youngster Fjord, all sat, gazing upon him. After a few moments he realized they were still waiting for him to address Wise Llew's arguments, and he was shaken out of his thoughts. "There is no whim, I assure you, for I am no longer human. I honestly wish I could have a chance to explain, but I cannot. You, of all races, should understand why." He nodded at Llew, and bowed his head. "I cannot force any action, for as you all well know, the Avatar must never interfere with another sentient race's affairs. However—" he hesitated before speaking again, but resumed after a moment. "However, all I'm doing is trying to…set the stage, in simple terms, for what needs to happen in order for the Galaxy to remain stable. And this is an Avatar's duty." Even as he spoke, he could tell that most of the Wheel were unimpressed with his answer. "Yes," Another Wheel, Retrisc, nodded. "But all of this, this plan of yours, surrounds Earth, one of the most uninformed planets out there?"

"Not to mention," Fjord added a little sneakily, "The place of your pre-dwelling?" This was met by a number of mumbles, some of disbelief, some of anger, and even some of agreement. To imply that directly that an Avatar's favor was titled to one race was not exactly the smartest thing to do—you know, because of the Awesome power and God-like abilities. But Fjord was only expressing his honesty, for which no Wheel could blame him, for indeed this thought had run through their minds as well.

Jordan sighed. He couldn't believe he had to explain himself to these guys. When he thought about it, he would have been just as skeptical if his speech was being told to _him_, but honestly! Time was very valuable, so he decided to reveal to them what he had been…hiding. Or, was the word avoiding more appropriate? "My being formerly human has nothing to do with the involvement of Earth." He said this firmly, letting a little irritation seep into his voice, so that the matter would not be brought up in front of him again. He didn't have time for any doubts, nor for arguments. In fact, he couldn't even spend much more time at the Meeting, for he was needed elsewhere. He turned to Wise Llew and addressed him directly to speed things up and finalize their decision. "My whole design, the outline I have explained to you, surrounds the idea of having planets pitted up against each other in Races—which is nonviolent and efficient. But it is important in another way." Jordan's voice was louder now, and more confident. "And…?" A Wheel by the age of Dellinious, who had recently reached his one-hundred and sixty-fifth year, spoke, his question carried by the walls that just seemed to go higher and higher and never end. "What does this have to do with Earth?"

At this, Jordan couldn't help but let a small smile—one with pain, and excitement, and knowing, and love, and sadness etched into it that all the Wheel could read. "Well," He said softly, but at the same time loudly enough for all to hear. "It just so happens that Earth has the best Racer around, in _all_ terms; skill wise and moral wise." Once again, a series of murmurs buzzed through the fifteen Wheel assembled around the Meeting Table. Llew looked at the young Avatar for quite a few minutes before reaching his decision. There were nods of approval, but also the shaking of heads, and many tilts of thought. Jordan felt a growing nervousness that he would be refused. Then Llew rose.

The whole table fell silent. The old Wheel stroked his hard, long, metal moustache in a most human-like gesture of thinking. Finally he sighed. When he spoke, he spoke strongly, and yet his voice was hardly louder than a whisper. He spoke not only to Jordan, but to everyone in the Room. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word, willing it to be permanent.

"If it is the Avatar's wish," He said, nodding to himself slightly as he spoke, "Than so it shall be. Earth _will _participate in the making of Wheel's fate. Why, I cannot say. But I know enough to think that all will be revealed at the right time."

Jordan smiled his first, relieved smile. "Thank you, Llew. Your reputation does you no lie." He could feel Oban pulling him back, which obviously meant he would be bothered by some new problems the Creators had managed to find. He hastened his speech to final directions. Plus, he still had much more planning to do. "Now then, you make the final preparations. I must be off, there are a few people I need to talk to and some things I need to do." With that, Jordan's image shimmered, and then disappeared completely. There was a long silence after he had left.

Finally, Fjord, finding his courage, asked. "Have we made the right decision?" His question hung in the air like the stench of a foul substance. Nobody—not even Llew the Wise—made an attempt to answer it or even acknowledge it. Slowly, one by one, each of the Wheel left until only Fjord and Llew were left sitting at the table. Fjord waited a little longer and then sighed, knowing already that his question would not be answered for a long time. He got up, and, casting one more look at the old leader of the Wheel, also disappeared behind the huge, sliding door of the Meeting Room.

The Meeting was over.

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(1) Terraes is pronounced Terri-Ess

Sorry that it's so short! I promise I'll try to write longer chapters! And if this chapter is leaving you with many, _many_ questions, then don't worry. They'll all be answered as the plot continues. Let me know what you think! R&R PLEASE!!! Do an old writer some good (actually, I'm like 14, but if me being old makes you review, then—hey, why not?)


	3. The Invitation is received

A/N: Wow, guy! Thanks for all of the great reviews! I wasn't sure how the idea would play out, really. Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting, but your reviews sure helped! OK, so my next chapter is kind of long, 5 pages! But I like it. It gives you a certain perspective about things ;) Anyway **R&R please**! Let me know if you think my chapters should be shorter! As usual, criticism is welcomed as long as it's done in a polite manner! I'm always looking for suggestions to help my writing!

**Doxeh**: Niccee :3 I am so happy you reviewed! Ilu Hayley!

**Tails-Coyote-Carnivore**: Actually, I completely forgot about pairings! (sweatdrop) But It'll become clearer and clearer who the pairings are later on. Until then, you'll just have to guess ;)

**amberwindhamsbcglobal.ne**_t_: Ha, I suppose a lot of people will be looking for pairings, then. All the more fun!

**OSR4ever**: Thanks! I'm not too sure about the length of my chapters, but I'll try really hard to update consistently! I hope you like the next chapter!

**Nightfall2525**: Wow, I'm getting a lot of Eva/Aikka vibes here. It might be, and it might not be. Keep reading to find out!

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-**: Thanks! I wasn't too sure about the style, actually. I'm still getting used to writing a lot in one day. In fact, this chapter took me like three days to prefect, and I'm still not sure I did it right!

**Jordan's Gal**: Yea, I'm a cliffhanger type of person I kind of like it when you put the pieces together yourself in a story, so expect that a lot from me.

Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**The Invitation is received: Eva is back on track!**

Back on Earth, Eva Wei was just waking up from a dream that she couldn't really remember, not being able to pinpoint what was different about today. She sat up in her bed, the purple covers falling down to her sides as she did so. Glancing over at her clock, she saw that it was 7:30 a.m. She groaned; she had overslept by half an hour. Somebody must have turned off her alarm. Of course, there was also the possibility that she just slept through it—it wasn't the first time she hadn't woken up to the rather annoying slur of her alarm clock. If Eva still wasn't half asleep, she might have assessed the situation better. But, of course, she was half asleep, so she didn't really care why she was missing school at that point. Instead, sighed and stretched her arms up, allowing a yawn to break out of her mouth. Slowly, she frowned slightly at the distant memory that was her dream. She hated it when she had a dream and then forgot about it when she woke up. Especially since she could felt that she was so close to remembering it. Still, that was not what was different about today. She couldn't exactly describe the feeling. It was a swelling in her chest that gave her an immense amount of energy. It was as if she had woken up on a sugar rush, although she was still able to refrain from any energetic movement. Still, it was a elevating feeling, if not happy, and she didn't mind it at all. She figured it was because in two days it was going to be the 1-year anniversary, when her and her father, Don Wei, had reunited. With that happy thought in her head, Eva had no problem getting up and dressed, which usually took her forever.

She slipped on a blue jacket as well, since it was autumn and a little windy outside. Eva fished her characteristically fitting goggles out of a random pile of clothing and placed them on her head. She cast one last look in the mirror. Perfect. She glanced around her room, thinking not for the first time that it was a tad bit messy. She ought to clean it up sometime. Maybe she would, later. For the time being, she hurried downstairs. The giddy feeling stayed with her all along, but she wasn't really that bothered by it. She entered the kitchen, and wasn't that surprising to find her father, Don Wei, sitting on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. Eva gave him a quick peck on the cheek before opening the refrigerator door and pulling out a box of orange juice. "Eva." He said, in a surprised greeting. "You're up late today." She took out a glass from a nearby cabinet the shook the box. "Yea, I kind of slept through my alarm this morning. But, hey, you didn't wake me up." She added, giving him a side look. If any argument was going to work, it was going to be this one. However, Don cracked a smile and waved the matter aside. "No matter," he said "I was thinking that we could go to the diner today anyway for breakfast. Your school won't mind if you miss first period." Eva grinned. Undoubtedly her father was anticipating their 1st anniversary with just as much enthusiasm as she as. "Awesome." She said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice and downing it before putting the carton back., and followed her father to the garage, where the car was parked outside. All the way to the diner, they broke into a small conversation. Eva's old friend and racing mentor, Rick Thunderbolt, was arriving tomorrow from Braunswick, where he had taken up a career as a racing coach. "..anyway, he wanted to know if you can get out of school early tomorrow." Don said as they exited the car. "And?" quipped Eva hopefully, pushing the door to the diner open and going inside. There was nothing she would love more than to leave school early—especially if it were to be with Rick. Unfortunately, Don shook his head. "I told him what I'll tell you; absolutely not! You're about to go on your break, anyway. There'll be plenty of time for fun and games _after school_." He emphasized the last two words. Eva rolled her eyes. A pretty waitress with black hair seated them. Eva accepted the menu with a smile and looked it over. "I think…I'm in the mood for chocolate-chip pancakes. What about you?" She asked her father. Don shook his head. "Just coffee for me. You know that." Eva pouted "Yea, but too much coffee isn't a very good breakfast. At least have an omelet or something." He nodded, if reluctantly.  
"All right, one omelet." The rest of breakfast went uneventful. So was the drive to school.

"I'll see you at home," Don said in farewell, before driving off. Eva sighed, grabbed her backpack out of the car, and entered the building. School went by as usual after that. She managed to get through all of her classes, with nobody but her best friends Marissa and Trent keeping her sane and up with math. It was during 4th period—French, as it were, that things started getting weird. The phone in the classroom rang, and Ms. Dulache, the French teacher, went to answer it. She picked it up with curiosity, and as she held it to her ear, her pale face scrunched into that of confusion and she put it down very slowly after the conversation was over, as if she didn't know whether to believe it or not. "Eva Wei," She said finally, her shrill voice lowered a couple of notes. She was a stout woman, with rather large front teeth and grey-black hair tied tightly back in a bun. Her piercing brown eyes and dark red lips made her face even paler than it already was, and her thin-rimmed glasses did her no flattery, either. "Your father is here to pick you up." She finished. Eva stared; her father had dropped her off from school not even three hours ago. Now he wanted to pick her up? Was something wrong? Marissa, who sat behind her, leaned forward "Is everything OK?" She whispered. Eva shrugged in response. She had no idea what was going on. She collecting her things from her locker, and went down to the front office to notify them she was leaving; they already knew. Stepping out into the sunlight, Eva couldn't help but stare. The car in front of her was most defiantly _not_ her father's. The white limousine was almost twice the size that they had, and it had the unmistakable imprint of the President's insignia. But what did the President want with her? A tall man that seemed to appear out of nowhere greeted her. "Eva Wei?" He asked, his voice holding no emotion at all. He was much taller than her, with sandy brown hair and an even tan. You couldn't see anything behind his dark glasses, and he was wearing a black suit. "Yes…" She said uncertainly, still not sure what was going on. The man was all business. He seemed very…sour, in her opinion. "Ms. Wei," he started, with a very official and serious air to his words. "My name is Agent Warren. You were excused today from school under the pretense that your father had come to collect you. Now, if you want…" His voice trailed off momentarily, but he quickly resumed "If you choose to go, the President has requested an audience with you." Eva blinked in response. She was expecting the answer, but that didn't make anything any less confusing. "He wants to see me?" She echoed, more curious than concerned. "Why?" She couldn't understand what was so bad about him wanting to see her. Obviously, it had to do with the Great Race of Oban. "Yes." The man said, not answering her as to what the meeting was pertaining to. He opened the door to the limousine for her, and she reluctantly climbed inside, hoping that she was doing the right thing. Before she went in, though, she asked Agent Warren. "Does my father know where I am?" He didn't answer her, but shut the door instead. Eva examined her surroundings. The President's limo wasn't a bad place to be. It had a minibar and really comfortable seats. Still, all of these positive attributes didn't help calm the nervous chortling of her stomach. The intense silence didn't help either. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt the car slow to a stop. The door was opened for her, and she climbed out. She couldn't help but marvel at the building before her; a large, white structure with brick on it's sides. It had many, many windows, but you couldn't see through any of them. She was led through the front door, and, with a nod from Agent Warren, another agent punched in a bunch of numbers on a screen, and the door to the main building opened.

The building wasn't quite as Eva had imagined it. In fact, it looked just like an ordinary workplace, with offices and cubicles and many hallways. She was led to an elevator, where another man was waiting. Agent Warren gave him a nod, and the man pressed the elevator button. It came immediately. After they were in, Warren pressed yet another button—Eva thought it was the "7" button—and they were zooming through the air. Eva hadn't said one word since they had left school. She was in a sort of daze, still contemplating what was happenening. She was roused from her thoughts by the buzzing noise the elevator made when it stopped. Eva exited, and looked back at Agent Warren, who was still inside the elevator. Before she had a chance to ask him whether he was coming with her to see the President or not, the doors closed and he disappeared, surly face and all. Eva couldn't really count it was a drawback. She looked around. There was only one door at the end of the long corridor that she was standing in. One guess what that was. Feeling a little nervous, she made her way through the corridor and knocked on the door. It opened automatically, and she walked inside the room. It was a cozy cream color, the kind that reminded her of a hotel room. He had a couple of paintings on the wall, although Eva didn't pay them much attention. The room was carpeted, although it was not the soft, plush carpet that she had in her own room. It had more of a hard, stubby texture. The carpet was a dark navy blue, with green and red plaid lines going across it. There was a couple of bookshelves to the left of her, and to the right the wall was completely bare. In the middle, there was a huge desk. The desk was made out of what Eva guessed was black marble. He had a few pens and picture frames on it, but other than that and paperwork, it was bare The President was seating in a tall brown chair, scribbling away at a sheet of paper. At the same time, Eva was immensely relieved to see that he was having a conversation with her father, on the other side of the desk.. Well, at least he knew where she was.

They both looked up as she entered, and their conversation died down. "Miss Wei!" The President greeted her jovially. Her father nodded at her, although his expression was more serious. Eva took a seat besides her father and couldn't suppress a smile. She couldn't help but feel a little important. "What's all this about?" She asked curiously. The President's expression melted instantly into a solemn look. "Yes, well, you see…" His voice trailed off, and he seemed to re-think his approach. Instead, he asked "I trust you have kept the Great Race of Oban a secret?" Don Wei nodded immediately "Of course, Mr. President. We understand the importance of such a secret." Eva, however, could not say the same for herself. Keeping Oban a secret had lasted about…half a day. After that, she would tell anyone who would listen about how she had raced in the intergalactic races. She had conveniently forgotten to mention the whole "Kanaletto" ordeal, but other than that, her secret was out. Some people believed her, while others didn't. Most kids just figured she had participated in an interplanetary tournament, and was just exaggerating about it. Marissa believed her completely, but Trent was more skeptic. The President nodded. "Good, good. Well…another, _matter_, shall we say, has come up. And, I was hoping that since young Eva already has experience with other worldly interactions, she would be the volunteer to represent Earth." Don Wei looked startled, to say the least, but Eva cocked her head to one side, thinking it over. "What is the, um, matter?" She asked finally. Don Wei opened his mouth and was about to say something when the President spoke quickly. "Instead of telling you, it would be much easier just to show you." He clicked a button under his desk, and a huge television screen that took up the whole side wall of the office appeared to a slit in the ceiling where the bare wall had been. The President cleared his throat "_This_ message arrived last night." He took a remote out of one of the drawers of his desk, and clicked a button on it somewhere. The TV's light flickered and skidded on and off for a moment, but then said transmission easily became apparent. In fact, the President was impressed with how clear it was. Usually transmissions to other planets were messy deals, with much miscommunication. However, this transmission was as clear as if it were being sent from one place on Earth to another, as opposed to lightyears away. On the screen, an old robotic face had appeared and began to tell Don and Eva Wei what he had told the President last night. "Hello, friends! You may not recognize us, but we are inhabitants of the planet Wheel. You may have purchased our goods at one time or another, we're very well known." The creature cleared his throat and continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Llew the Wise, Leader of the Congregation of Wheel. It is with the utmost pleasure that I invite Earth to join a tournament that is to be held here on Wheel. This is a racing tournament, and the winner will receive our full alliance and support. Anything you need or do, we will provide anything we can. Ah, there is one more thing," The robot paused, before continuing "Because of…certain circumstances, we request that the racers that you choose to represent your planet—should you decide to participate, of course—be within the ages of thirteen years of age to twenty-one. Thank you, and have a pleasant day!" The transmission once again flickered, and the television then promptly shut of. There was a long silence after the transmission had died down, with each person in the room absorbing it in. "So," Eva started, even more confused then she was when she had come "We're racing, for…their support? That doesn't seem like a very good prize." The President's eyes seemed to come alive at that point. "Not a good prize?" He repeated, as if Eva was a lunatic. "The Wheel are responsible for eighty-five percent of all of Earth's technology and trading. They are the single largest trading community in the Galaxy! Not a good prize? Why, anyone who knows them would give anything to be allied with them! Think about it! Being able to control all of the trading routes, having the best technologies…" A strange glint appeared in his eye, but it went away as fast as it had come. Eva was momentarily stunned by the President's reaction. So these…Wheel were that important? _Wheel_? What kind of name was _that_ for a planet, anyway? Still, Eva had missed racing. After all, she was only sixteen, and according to law you can't enter the Big Leagues until you were seventeen. And no_ way_ was she going to even insult herself by trying the Minor Leagues—she was way past that. The President cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, addressing Don Wei. "Because of the…odd age demand, I was hoping that your daughter might be able to participate in this tournament. For the good of Earth." Don Wei was frowning. He wasn't too fond of the idea of letting Eva enter another race away from Earth—not after what happened on the _last_ one. As if reading his mind, Eva gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Dad. It's not like Oban." The President nodded "That's right. This race is purely economical, and if I say so myself, it's quite important." Don still didn't look bought, but instead he asked. "Will I be able to come with her?" Here the President's face faltered "Ah—well, here's the thing. Eva won't…well, she won't be going as Eva." At this, both Eva and Don gave the President a stumped expression. "Wait…_what_?" she asked. He played with the collar of his shirt for a moment before replying. "Well, it would be…unflattering, we'll say, for Earth to send just anyone. So, it would be more appropriate if Eva were thought be…I don't know…somebody more…important."

"Like?" Don stressed. "Like…say, the President's daughter." Eva stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." She said flatly. Racing was one thing. Going as somebody else was a whole new issue. She wasn't herself during the Great Race of Oban—this time, she wanted Eva to be the one racing, not somebody else. "You're saying I have to pretend that you're my father?" She found that really weird. _Really_ weird. The President shook his head "No, no, you don't understand. I'm not coming, either, so you won't have to pretend you're my daughter around me. Just say that you are. Nobody will know." Eva frowned "Then I don't understand. Why can't my dad come?" The President met her glare. " The thing is, that if your father does come with you, then he must be your racing manager and that's all. And it would be…difficult, to do so." Eva was getting angry. "So then who's coming with me? Or am I going alone?" The President shrugged "Who comes with you is your choice. But, I _strongly suggest_ it not be your father." Well, Eva knew what that meant. Don Wei had been silent all the while, thinking. Finally, he looked over at Eva. "It's your choice." He said finally. "It's your race." Eva was both delighted and disappointed at his answer. Not even two days ago they were having the whole "I-need-more-freedom" talk. It looks like he was finally letting her make her own decisions. At the same time, didn't he want to come? "Besides," Don added gruffly. "There's a lot to do on the racing track and…" He didn't finish, but rather let out a deep sigh. Eva thought about it for a while longer. The prospect of entering a new race was exciting to her, and she really wanted to do it. Not for the President, or even really for Earth. Ever since Oban, she'd been dreaming of another chance like this; except this time, she would like it without the whole "evil-10,000-year-old-birdman-trying-to-destroy-everything" experience. If she had to pretend to be the President's daughter, so what? It's not as if she ever had to talk about him, or even see him. So what was the big deal? It couldn't be _that _hard. She nodded solemnly. "OK," she said finally, "I'll do it!" The President nodded thoughtfully. "Wonderful! In that case, the next object on our agenda is to find you a gunner…" Eva's face lit up. She knew just who it should be. "I have one already." She said. The President looked up, surprised. "You _have _one already?" He repeated, as if not really believing her. "Yea, sure." She nodded "My friend, Trent. From school. He's really great. Like amazing great." Which was true. If Eva had to choose anyone who she would trust to be in a machine with, it would be Trent. "Very…well…" The President said reluctantly. "It you're confident in him…"

"Oh, I am." Eva reassured him, already snickering at Trent's response when she told him what she had volunteered him for. Don Wei, who again had been long silent, asked a question. His voice was quieter, and his tone more mundane. "When does the transport leave?" The President nodded, as if satisfied with the question. "The transport leaves in two day's time, and the race will be approximately one week long." Eva was surprised it was so short. "One week?" The President nodded. "Oh, and, one more thing. You're allowed to bring up to four people, including the gunner." Then, as if the whole conversation had never taken place, he diverted his attention back to his papers. Don took this as their leave cue, and he stood up to leave, motioning for Eva to follow. Once they were outside, Eva turned to him and stopped. "Is it really okay that you're not coming?" She asked honestly. Don cast a hard look at the vast parking lot, but answered her. "It doesn't matter whether I'm all right with it. It's necessary for Earth to participate." He started walking again, and as Eva trailed behind him, she couldn't help but wonder what he and the President were talking about _before_ she came in.

Well, that's the second chapter! Hope you liked it! **R&R** please! I'm sorry you didn't see very much of Eva's friends, but they'll come in more in the next chapter!


	4. The Journey begins

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Oban: Star Racers (unfortunately), but I _do_ own most of the aliens that will be introduced further along and Trent, Eva's friend.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews guys! And many thanks to the advice, as well! I'll try and accommodate every suggestion I can! Oh, and, if I have any grammatical mistakes, feel free to post it in a review or PM me about it. I'm not aware of all the rules, since I just began writing recently. Also, regarding pairings, I've been hearing a ton of Aikka/Eva, but I'm refusing to give anything away. Eva's leaving Earth's orbit this chapter, so you'll find out soon enough. As promised, Eva's friends have a little more role in this chapter, and you'll be seeing Trent throughout the rest of the fic. **R&R **/_pllleeeeaaaasssseeeee_/to let me know what you think of the chapter!

**Doxeh:** That's okay, Hayley. If it weren't for you, this story wouldn't be up here in the first place At least you review (which I am really thankful for ;3)

**Jordan's Gal: **Thanks for the review! The paragraph error was just another case of me not realizing I'm making a grammatical blunder.I really want to thank you for that observation, because actually, I was not aware of that rule. I'll do my best to start new paragraphs when people talk!

**RomanticAngel: **Wow! What a review! Heh, I just graduated eighth grade on Wednesday (which is why I haven't updated in so long) so I suppose it could be said I was in high school now ;) Thanks for then encouragement on the chapters; I wasn't sure if it got boring reading an extremely long chapter, and I will most defiantly try to make my paragraphs shorter, if just for the sake of the reading eye. The Wheel aren't exactly your normal everyday typical race. They've never been defiled by greed or corruption because…well, you'll find out soon enough. And don't worry, I liked your review! It was hardly a waste of my time!

**Aikka's girl:** Thanks for your input! I'll make my paragraph's shorter (I know how, also, because of the new rule **Jordan's Gal** enlightened me to)

Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

**The journey begins: Set Sail in the Ship of New Beginnings!**

"You're _leaving_? Right before break?" Marissa demanded, shutting her locker door with more force then necessary. Her expression had taken on of an annoyed fury, and her voice was dripping with distaste.

"I know," Eva started, "And I'm really sorry, but—"

"Whatever, it doesn't really matter. Lets just go grab some lunch or something." Marissa cut her off, but Eva could tell that she was ticked off at her. The last bell for the morning had just rung. Eva and Marissa were coming out of Honors English, which they took together. During class, Eva had sent Marissa a small note telling her that she was leaving for a week in one day's time. Marissa spent half the time sending Eva shocked expressions and quiet "Ugh!"s, and the other half sulking. After the period had ended, she had rushed out of class, not bothering to wait for Eva. Eva tried apologizing, but Marissa wouldn't hear it. Eva found it very frustrating that her friend couldn't try to sympathize. But inwardly, Eva knew that if it had been Marissa leaving before Saturday, then she would have been ticked off at her as well. Regardless, Eva _had_ to go; it wasn't as if it was her choice anymore. Earth couldn't withdraw their place in the races, and even if they could, the President would probably never allow it.

It was understandable for Marissa to be this upset, although Eva did not think that, given the justification of being a "Diplomatic Ambassador," (as her father called it) it was entirely fair. Marissa liked to pretend that she was upset at Eva for leaving right before break, when they had made plans, but Eva knew the truth. The coming Saturday—two days after Eva would already be on Wheel, it was Marissa's sixteenth birthday, and she was having what was supposed to be the party of the year. Marissa came from a very wealthy family, being the daughter of Senator Harold Ramone. Unlike her older brother Erik, Marissa was never really a material girl. In fact, the only big or expensive things she bought were so that she, Eva, and Trent could have fun with them—the heck with everyone else. All she could talk about for a month was how awesome it would be having Trent and Eva be at the party with her. And now, Eva was going to miss it, and maybe Trent would as well. Of course Marissa would be mad at them. However, Eva couldn't ask the transport to wait for her, and she already felt bad enough about missing Marissa's sweet sixteen. She didn't have to give her grief about it. Eva followed Marissa into the school cafeteria. Marissa flipped her sandy brown shoulder-length hair over her head and tied it in a high pony-tail, just as she always did before eating anything. Every time she ate with her hair loose, food would always manage to get caught in it.

"I said I was sorry." Eva insisted. "And it's not like I can just say 'Mr. President, I've changed my mind. I can't go because of my best friend's sweet sixteen.' What do you think he's going to say to that?"

Marissa sighed, and they took their places in line. "I know," she muttered in a grudging acceptance, "But my party is going to totally reek without you there. What am I supposed to tell people?"

Eva had contemplated this herself. "Well, since it's break and all, the story is that I've gone to Haiti for vacation with my new racing coach, ex-pilot Rick Thunderbolt." Eva shrugged. The first thing Eva had done when she had gotten home was call Rick, Stan, and Koji. They were, after all, the three extra people that she was bringing, besides Trent. Rick had agreed to go with her immediately, but Stan and Koji had to think about it for a while. After all, Miguel was close to retiring, and they didn't want to leave him. However, Stan had mentioned that there was a new star-racer they were working on, and they could probably finish it by tomorrow. Koji's voice got all excited then, as he explained to Eva the new ship they were creating. "We learned so much from those Scrubs back on Oban," he had told her "We had to try some of their methods for ourselves. This new race could be a perfect time to try this baby out!" So, basically, Stan and Koji convinced themselves to come. They called back not even ten minutes later and announced that they were in.

"Haiti? Instead of my birthday party?" Marissa said skeptically. "To get tutored by a racing coach? You're not even old enough for the big leagues until next year." Eva waved that aside. It had been too long since she had last been behind the wheel of a star racer, and she didn't like to think about it. "Look, this is really important. Speaking of which, where's Trent? I really need to find him."

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Why? Because he's coming with you?" Her voice was encased in sarcasm. Eva bit her lip, though, and Marissa's look of bored sarcasm changed almost immediately to a shocked anger. "You're kidding? You're _taking him with you_? You're leaving me totally alone?"

Eva shrugged apologetically. She felt bad about missing Marissa's party, but Trent was the only one she could have. Jordan wasn't around anymore…and no _way_ was she letting the President choose for her. Besides, Trent was the best gunner she knew now a days. He was just like any other sixteen-year-old male, except more rambunctious and had an obsession with shooting things. So he was perfect for the job. Marissa stared at Eva for a couple of more minutes, then walked away from her in silence. Eva sighed; she knew better than to follow her. When Marissa got into one of her moods, it was best to let her cool off before trying to talk to her. Eva's eyes wandered around the cafeteria, looking for Trent.

She found him by the pudding line. How expected. Shaking her head, she walked up behind him and gave him a sharp tug. He turned around, and grinned when he saw her. His spiked mop of black hair, dyed blue at the tip, was standing perfectly upright, as usual, and he had the regular laid-back look. "Hey, E. What's up?" He asked, noticing her serious expression. She pulled him aside, and repeated what the President had told her about the race, the cover-up story, and her need for a gunner. Trent's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? You expect me to miss out on something like this? I'm in all the way!" His voice sounded excited, and he had a broad grin on his face. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow." Eva said "Six O'clock. The transport receives us at four in the afternoon." Trent nodded, mentally making a note of this in his mind.

Slowly, his eyebrows furrowed in realization. "Wait…we're leaving tomorrow? For a week? Doesn't that mean that we'd be missing Rissa's—"

"Yea, I know. It sucks." Eva said huskily. Was he going to give her grief about this now? It wasn't her choice when the race was.

Trent frowned, but he didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "How's she taking it?" He finally asked.

Eva sighed "As well as I would." Trent's expression clouded, his deep grey-blue eyes taking on a glazed look. Eva began to worry he might not come.

"I really need you there." She said finally.

He nodded. "Yea, and I'm coming. I'm just trying to think. You know, she really wants us to be there. It just sucks." He shook his head. "Well, there's nothing we can do, right? Maybe we'll get her something awesome while we're up there—Wheel is a trading planet, after all. That'll cheer her up."

Eva's expression lit up. "That's it! We'll get her something really awesome—something else nobody on Earth has!"

"Right. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then. I should probably go help Rissa out." He shuffled away. Trent was the only one Marissa would listen to when she was angry; this was because she's had a massive crush on him since the third grade, as Eva found out. Not that he had figured that out, of course. Eva was left alone, thinking about tomorrow, when she would be leaving Earth—and right before her best friend's party and her and her father's 1-year anniversary, too.

Tomorrow came faster than Eva expected. Since today was the start of her Thanksgiving Break, she had no school. She had Don Wei had packed a few of her things into a duffel bag, and went out for lunch. Rick had phoned to say that he had picked up Stan and Koji, and that they would meet them at the Transport's designated pick-up area; which, oddly, enough, as Eva had found out, was at a docking port a few cities away. She and her father left the house at around one to pick Trent up, since it was an hour's drive away from Rohard, the town where they needed to be. He came out of the house with a rather annoyed expression. As soon as he got into the car, Eva exploded into laugher. He was wearing a loose fitting red T-Shirt and orange Hawaiian printed Trunks. "What is _that_?" Eva managed to gasp in between laughter spasms. He rolled his eyes. "My mom wanted me to dress appropriately for _Haiti_." He said grudgingly. Eva was still chuckling, when she looked over her own attire. She wore faded jeans, with a black T-Shirt. Nothing special, really. Don Wei, who had been smiling to himself in the rearview mirror, cleared his throat. "Now, now. You can't expect Mrs. Thomas to know that Trent won't really be going to Haiti." He said soberly. Trent's voice took over for the rest of the car ride. He had countless questions for Eva about Oban. He had never fully believed that she had done all the things that she had explained, so he had never asked for full detail. Even yesterday, he questioned whether it was really happening. But now that he was here, in the car, on the way to an alien Race Festival, he couldn't stop asking questions. The whole car ride to Rohard, Eva had to listen to "Were there any cool looking aliens there? Did any of them look close to human? How many did you meet? Did you all speak the same language? How did the aliens know English? Is it like interplanetary or something? I still can't believe I'm meeting _Rick Thunderbolt._ Is he as cool as they say he is?" Of course, he kept on asking a new question in the middle of Eva answering his old one, so he never really did get any answers besides that _yes_, Rick was _much _cooler than the tabloids described him.

They arrived at Rohard's Port thirty minutes before the appointed time. It was, as Don Wei had said countless times, better to be safe than sorry. Eva looked at the extra time as a means to catch up with Rick, Stan, and Koji about how things have been going. While it's true that Eva did her best to keep in contact with Rick, the fact was he was often traveling, or tutoring another young racer, now that he had become a professional coach. However, on a slightly brighter note, she had been able to keep in touch with Stan and Koji, and they visited each other often. That was part of the reason why Eva was so shocked to hear that they had been working on a new project; for they had never mentioned it to her, nor had she seen them work on it. Maybe it was too recent, then…?

Well, whatever the reason, Eva was just glad she would be able to get back into the cockpit of a star racer. _It's been_ way_ too long,_ she thought. She had been unable to race for almost one year. She couldn't wait to see what beauty Stan and Koji had whipped up. Her heart beat faster and faster as she felt the car stop to a halt. From the back, she could hear Trent grinning. "This is so awesome." He said, for about the umpteenth time.

Rick, Stan, and Koji were waiting for them by the water. Behind them was a huge truck, with what could contain nothing other than Eva's new Racer. As she watched her friends, all together, just like on Oban, anticipation caused adrenaline to pump through her veins, and she wasted no time tackling Rick into a bear hug. "Rick!:" She shouted, her voice bright and elated with happiness. "It's so great to see you again!"

Rick laughed lightly, and embraced her for a moment before letting her go. "Whoa, there, Little Mouse. It's nice to see you too." He hadn't changed much since last year. His hair was still long, he had those same sunglasses on, and he still had that same, cool look on his face. The only thing really different about him was his attire, in fact. He wore a blue T-Shirt and black pants. Nothing too fancy, but still every bit Rick-ish. Eva peeled herself off of him in order to grin at Stan and Koji. Stan and Koji hadn't changed at all really. Koji still had that flustered, modest look that Eva loved about him, and Stan was just as fervent looking as ever. Koji's hair was a little longer, and it was tied back in a ponytail, but other than that, they were very much the same. Koji wore a baggy T-shirt under his pale grey overalls, and Koji wore a white wifebeater under his dark brown overalls. Both of them were stained with oil, as usual. Eva waved at them, and they grinned back. For a moment, it all felt so…_real,_ to Eva. Like they were back the way they were…back on Oban. _Only one person missing_, she thought sadly, _too bad he can never come back_. Thinking of Jordan reminded Eva that she had not yet introduced their newest member. "Oh, guys!" She said, as Stan and Koji sauntered over to where they were. "We got a new gunner! His name is Trent, he's my friend from school. He may not be a Jordan, but he's really good."

Rick looked over at Eva with his mouth slightly upturned, and when he spoke, his voice had an air of amusement in it. "This wouldn't be him, would it?" He asked, jabbing his figure at what was, indeed Trent beside him. Except that Trent's eyes had gone all big, and his jaw hung open. He tried to speak, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was rather girl-like, in Eva's opinion.

Eva tried to stifle a laugh. "Rick, meet Trent, your #1 fan." She winked at him. Trent composed himself, but was still gaping at Rick.

"I can't believe I'm actually meeting Rick Thunderbolt." He said, his voice excited and shocked at the same time. "You're, like, _famous_. Like, a racing legend."

Although Eva couldn't see behind Rick's glasses, she was sure that he threw her a wink. "And you would be…?"

"Trent! Trent Thomas! I'm gonna be the gunner on this here expedition." He said, drawing himself up to full height. "I'm the best in my division." He added. Eva rolled her eyes, and grabbed his hand. "You can try to impress Rick later, Trent." Her eyes were drawn back to the large cargo truck about ten feet away. "Is it in there?" She asked Stan.

He nodded. "She's a real beauty, too. The best one yet, I'd say."

Koji nodded vigorously as well, and added in apologetically. "Sorry we didn't tell you about it sooner. It was supposed to be a surprise for your seventeenth birthday, but it was almost done, anyway." Eva grinned. How like Stan and Koji to fix her up the best star racer around for when she was finally old enough to do some real damage. As if reading her mind, Koji added "Just do us a favor, and try _not_ to knock it up so badly this race?" Eva had to laugh at the pleading tone of voice he spoke in.

"Me?" She asked in a feigned surprise. "How can you even say something like that. Trent, who was beside her, nudged her on the arm. "When do we get to see it in action?" Stan answered the question for Eva.

"Well, we probably shouldn't take it out now, but you can see it as soon as the transport brings us to Wheel." Stan chuckled "What a name for a planet." He added.

Koji shrugged. "I took some time to research the planet last night." He informed the others seriously. "It turns out that this planet is huge. I mean, it's known all over the galaxy. It sells anything, anytime, and it's super-quick. It's inhabited by a race of robots that call themselves the Wheel, after the name of their planet. Nobody knows how they get their quick deliveries to all the different parts of the galaxy, but they control the most exports in the region. Even some of the parts that made the_ Windbreaker_ were ordered and delivered by them. It's how technologies and cultural goods are exported."

Trent raised an eyebrow. "_Windbreaker_? That's what it's called? That's a pretty sweet name."

Koji grinned modestly. "Stan was the one who thought of it." Stan gave his friend a sharp pat on the back "We both thought of it." He corrected. Eva looked back at Rick, who was in deep conversation with Don Wei. Once again, she couldn't help but feel an enveloping happiness and excitement.

They were interrupted by a huge gust of wind. Koji and Stan ran to the truck and grabbed the wiring holding down the Windbreaker. Eva shielded her eyes, and grabbed Trent's arm for support. "What _is_ that?" He asked, over the growing roar. Eva could barely hear him over the noise, and her eyes were starting to tear. She heard a gasp somewhere near her, and opened her eyes. She could feel her jaw dropping, and her eyes widening. What she saw before her was like nothing she had ever seen before.

It was a massive ship, made completely out of solid gold. It had what looked like Lapis Lazuli and jade linings, along with other gems and crests that Eva had never seen before. The deck was wooden, but Eva could see the metal outline of what had to be the rooms where people were staying. "This is the transport?" She couldn't believe it. This was huge, this was amazing.

Besides her, Trent whistled. "You never said that the transport would look anything like this." He marveled.

Eva shook her head "I didn't know." She said honestly. All of the team members were struck with awe at the sight before them.

Just then, part of the top of the ship's hull disappeared, and instead a long, bronze walkway began to descend from where it once stood. Don was the first to snap back to reality. "Rick!" He ordered. "Get in the truck! We'll need to drive it up in order to get the Star Racer safely aboard. Stan, Koji, you had better go with him." His voice was business-like, as usual. As Stan, Koji, and Rick went to do as they were instructed, Don pulled Eva aside from Trent. "Eva," he began, but paused, realizing that any good-bye speech he had planned had flew out of his head and evaded his memory. In the end, he settled for enveloping her in a monster hug. "Be careful." He said forcefully, as if it would be set in stone then. Eva smiled at him.

"I will." She said, and, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she trotted over back to where Trent was. A tall, robotic silhouette had taken a place down the walkway, and was now approaching the new Earth Team.

"Greetings," He said, although his voice was hardly robotic. "Welcome, Earth Team, to the races that may industrialize your planet for years to come. My name is Honig. Please, state your name, your team members, and follow me." His big robotic eyes blinked and he fell silent, waiting for them. Eva realized that she should probably say something.

"Oh! Well, uh, I'm Eva Wei, and this is Trent. We're both on the Earth Team. The other three members are in that truck over there, and that's where our star racer is..." At the mention of their star racer, Honig's eyes burst back to life. "Of course. Allow me to help you with your ship. You and your other teammate can board the ship now."

Trent grinned. "Thanks, man!" He flashed Eva a smile . They both grabbed their bags and started to climb up the walkway when they heard one of the most loud, obnoxious noises that they could ever hear. Even Honig turned to see what had made the noise. However, Eva and Trent already knew. After all, how many times now had they tried to convince Marissa to change the honk on her rocket scooter? About a billion. But she refused, saying it was too "unique to smolder." Whatever that meant. Eva blinked. Had she ridden all the way here from home?

"Wait!" She shouted breathlessly, throwing her scooter's hatch down, causing it to halt abruptly. She hastily got off and threw her helmet on the ground. She rushed over to where Eva and Trent were and wasted drew both of them into the tightest hug she could muster. "I'm really, really sorry and I didn't mean to get all mad the other day." She was talking fast, as if she knew they were about to leave. "I know you guys really want to be there, and I just didn't want you to leave thinking I'm mad at you. Because I'm not."

Trent grinned, and Eva felt immensely relieved. She was happy Marissa had forgiven her for missing her Sweet Sixteen. Now she could race with a clear conscience, if anything. Eva hugged her friend back. "Don't worry," She said, cooing slightly. "We'll get you the most awesome present _ever_."

Marissa grinned. "I know you will. Win for me, will you?" She and Eva slapped hands—a dumb ritual, really, but one that they practiced before every big promise that took place between them. Trent placed a hand on her shoulder, and Marissa's face turned a flushed shade of pink.

"Don't worry, Rissa." He promised, "We'll make it up to you." Before he could say any more, Honig's voice could be heard.

"Excuse me," he said apologetically, "but only members of the Earth Team are allowed to board the ship, and it's high time we began moving again." Marissa nodded, threw her friends one last wave, and sprinted back to her scooter. Slowly, the walkway began to retract itself, and Eva could feel herself being lifted farther and farther from her friends, her family, and Earth.

"Where's the truck?" She asked suddenly, realizing that it wasn't on the retracting walkway with them. Honig smiled; or at least that's what it _looked_ like he was doing. The metal corners of his mouth were titled crookedly upwards. "They have placed your ship in the cargo hold, below the deck. They will be in your quarters shortly." Eva looked once more at the retreating Earth below her, and thought that she heard Marissa scream, "Have fun in Haiti!" But she was so far up by now, she couldn't be sure. Once they were on the ship, Eva could really see what an amazing vessel it was. Although the deck was made out of nothing but wood, Eva felt that it's quality was much better than a normal wooden deck's. The deck was bare, which made Eva realize just how big it was. However, before she could comment, Honig spoke. "Welcome, Pilot of Earth. Eva, did you say it was?" Eva nodded, and Honig pointed a long, metallic finger to the metal part of the ship which Eva guessed were the rooms. "Terribly sorry for your inconvenience, but since Wheel is a long time away, and we still have more stops to make, the ship will be docking at the Wheel International Port tomorrow. There is a celebratory opening ball tonight to honor the contestants that will be held on the deck. Please, until then, feel free to rest in your cabins. They are right in there. The cabin with the Earth symbol is yours. I will inform your teammates, after they have completed signing in your ship and official members."

Trent nodded in thanks, grabbed Eva's hand, and marched her away towards the rooms. "Something about those guys doesn't feel right," he said, his voice kind of squeamish.

Eva raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" She had felt really comfortable around Honig, actually.

Trent shrugged "It's nothing, really it's just…I don't know. Koji said that they were a race of robots. I guess that when he spoke…it just didn't seem very robotic. I mean, his voice wasn't computerized or anything…it must be nothing. Forget it."

Now that Eva thought about it, when she had spoken to Honig she hadn't really thought about any of that stuff. She felt like she was talking to another person. A real, non-robotic person. "Okay, well, that could be because of the advanced computerization and stuff." She shrugged. "Oh, here's our door." There, before them, was a bronze door with the symbol of Earth engraved into it. "Well, here we go." Eva placed a hand on the door. As if on cue, the door slid open and Eva and Trent walked inside.

The room was completely bare. There was nothing in it. It was just a vast, open, metallic space. There were three connecting rooms, but none of them had doors, or even any furnishings in them. "Well," Trent said in a bored tone of voice, "They sure know how to treat their guests with luxury." Before Eva could respond, however, the ground underneath them shifted slightly.

"Wha--?" Eva started, but stopped at what happened next. The floor opened up, and two beds appeared on either side of the room. The walls changed color from a dull bronze to a bright red on the side Eva was standing on, and a deep blue on Trent's side. They both watched, as, in awe, the room continued to personalize itself to each of their liking.

By the time the room had finished furnishing itself, both Trent and Eva were speechless.

"Well," Trent repeated, although this time with a totally different meaning, "They sure know how to treat their guests with luxury."

Eva blinked in response. What else was there to these guys that she didn't know? And what other surprises would she be graced with? As if an answer to her question, a voice that didn't sound robotic in the least bit sounded throughout the room, and Eva was sure, throughout the whole ship.

"Greetings, skilled contestants! I am the navigator of this ship, Dellinious. Let me give you an idea how things are going to work. We have three more stops to make, and then the Pre-Opening Ball will be held in honor of those planets that wished to participate in the Races of Wheel. Please, in the meantime, make yourselves comfortable. Thank you."

Trent dropped his duffel bag and flopped onto his bed. It was springier than he expected it to be. "Well, you heard the man." He said, "We might as well get comfy." Eva smiled and nodded, but as she looked around the room for a speaker, she found that there wasn't one at all.

A/N: Well, there we go! 9 whole pages! Sorry if this chapter seems monotonously long. This chapter was originally supposed to be split into two different ones, but to be honest, I want Trent and Eva to get off of Earth already so the _really_ interesting things can start happening! I hoped you liked it, despite it's length? Remember what I said in the prelude about picking out little tidbits of information from the chapters to help you understand the mystery later on? Heads up, this is one of 'em. Well, **R&R** to let me know what you think or to make any suggestions!


	5. Belle of the Ball

**Disclaimer:**_ Still_ not owning anything about Oban: Star Racers than I did before, except maybe a few bad puns.

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating much, but as I've only just returned from camp, I wasn't able to get on much. This new chapter is slightly longer than the last, but you'll see why and hopefully you'll be so entranced that you won't notice it's length ;) I've also piled everything up, so it won't seem as monotonous to read. Eva even makes a new friend, not to mention she sees some old ones! This is one of my favorites. And c'mon guys! I need more reviews! Even if it's to let me know that my story sucks (pllleeaaassee noooo!), or to let me know you like it (yey!), either way I really want to know what you think! So read the chapter, enjoy, and **review** afterwards!

I'd also just like to thank **Jordan's Gal** for the wonderful advice, since most of the chapter was thought up at camp, actually.

**milopita:** Thanks! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**APurpleAvacado:** It took me a while to find my inspiration for the transport, which I ended up finding in Treasure Planet (the ship in the book Jim reads as a child, if anyone's seen it and/or remembers it). I wasn't too sure how it would play out, but many people like it, so yay The rooms were completely mine, though. I wanted something unexpected, hope it worked. sigh Now if only I could program MY room to do that. Well, anyways, here's the next chappie; enjoy! (and pairings WILL become evident later on, as you said.)

**Doxeh:** Ilu-more-than-Thursday ;) And you have a point, there (or two :3)

**Jordan's Gal: **Really? I can't imagine why xD I proof-read the chapter as soon as I put it up, and the paragraphing actually did make a lot of difference. The chapters will probably get shorter, as I'll try to split them up better. I just don't want to end up with like 100 chapters, ya'know? Hmmm, and as for pairings, I think I'll leave speculation for now. Although the matter does seem to be brought up often.

**RomanticAngel: **Thanks for waiting so long! I'm happy that my writing isn't crud to people! I'm terribly sorry about the length of the chapters, but it's a fault of mine I'm trying to sort out at the moment T.T The Ship was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I was imagining something out of Treasure Planet. That type of craft. I didn't want to use the Alwas-type transport since…well, it's been used in the series already;) And I wanted to emphasize the unique characteristics that I put into the Wheel. You noticed most of the, er, abnormalities that presented themselves very nicely. Sorry if the story seems very Nancy Drew. But I wanted something with a little mystery, you'll see why later on in the chapters.

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

**Belle of the Ball: The Princess who would-be Queen**

"Eva! We're already ten minutes late! Are you _ever_ getting outta there or what?" An impatient Trent asked, rapping on the bathroom door rather obnoxiously. Eva's equally impatient voice called out back to him.

"Just chill! I'll be out in five minutes." From outside, she could hear angry mumbles, and she caught phrases here and there such as "women and bathrooms, I just don't get it…." She rolled her eyes. She was the girl, so why was Trent being such a drama queen? It's not as if being late to one party would kill them. Being late for a race, totally different story. People show up late to parties all the time. There was no need to get so worked up over it. It's not as if Trent is always 100 on time, so he had really no business telling her to hurry up. In fact, she intended to bring up that point on the way to the Pre-Opening Ball. She gave herself a quick last look in the mirror; her ensemble was less than fancy. She sported a black sleeveless top that, in truth, would have passed for a party top. Even her purple mini skirt looked rather fancy. Not ball material, though; of that much she could be sure. She sighed. If somebody had told her there would be a freaking _ball_ at this event, she would have packed some formal clothing. But this was the best she could do, given what she had brought. She glanced down self-consciously at her sneakers; those would have to do for now as well.

"Alright! I'm coming out now!" She announced, and exited the bathroom with one last glance at herself.

"Thanks for announcing that." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're only going to be about a half hour late now!" Eva was about to respond when she noticed something. Something that really irked her off. Trent was dressed better than she was. In fact, he was wearing a rather black tie suit. She could feel her jaw dropping. Where had _he_ gotten the idea to pack formal?

"Are you kidding? How did you know that you'd need fancy clothes?" She demanded. Trent grinned at her, one of his eyebrows going up.

"What can I say, I'm just that smooth. And anyway, this is supposed to be the social gathering of the alien year. You'd expect there to be some type of party…"

"In other words, your mom packed 'em for you.:" Eva snapped back, but she had had to admit, now that she thought about it, it was pretty obvious that nice clothes were going to be needed. In her defense, she was extremely excited about this race, to the point that she could not bother to think about what _cloths_ to bring, and Alwas was never this formal, anyway. "Where's the party being held?" She asked, trying to change the subject as the entered the long hallway.

Trent glanced down at the slab of information Rick had written down for them. Not long after their arrival to their rooms, both Trent and Eva had fallen asleep on the beds provided. They didn't hear when Rick, Stan, and Koji came in, or when the rooms re-adjusted themselves to fit all of their needs. They missed the announcement made by Dellinious in the later hours about how the last stop—Nourasia, as it were—was completed and the Ball would be held on the main deck at 19:30(1) nightfall Nourasian Standard Time (8:30 p.m. Earth Standard time). There would be a stage set up specially for the Ball, and a dancing floor along with food and tables and such would be provided as well. Team members were to report to the deck at 18:30, and racers were to report to the back of the stage at 19:00 sharp to prepare for the announcing competitors opening. Rick had woken them up at around 8:00 EST(2) and given them the information, which Trent hastily copied down in illegible handwriting, so Rick had to re-write it anyway.

"It's being held on the main deck, but we should go to the back of some type of stage that's gonna be there." He read off the paper. "Stage, huh? What do you think that'll look like?" The question had just barely left his lips when the answer presented itself to them. Even though they were still a good distance away from the main deck, it would be impossible to miss the towering stage. It was fantastically tall, with beautifully fitted with a material the looked shockingly like velvet and had sparkles and streamers that seemed to be made from pure, golden hued light.

However, the thing that shocked Eva most as they drew ever-near the stage was all the different _culture _she saw. Instantly, she was able to recognize some of the aliens she had seen from Oban: There was a racer that had Ondai's metal finishing, and Eva recognized three of those oval white tube-like aliens that she had accidentally bumped into, when she had first met Prince Aikka. Her breath caught at the memory, and she craned her neck, but saw no Prince. Slightly let down, continued to look about the different wears of each alien.

There were big dresses, small dresses, loose dresses, tight dresses, and suits of all different shapes and sizes. There were, such like the tube-like aliens, races that preferred to wear no clothing at all; but they were a minority. Eva was greeted with a splash of colour and design that she had never seen before.

There was one girl who, momentarily, Eva mistook for human herself. It was then that she noticed the eyes, which were little more than slits, and the extra pair of arms. Other than that, though, the girl's anatomy—at least the visible, seemed familiar enough. Her dress was what Eva could see only as a gigantic flower, with the petals twisted and warped to fit into a dazzling dress. It's colour shifted from yellow, to orange, to red, and finally pink, of a swift rotating cycle. Another alien's wear that caught Eva's eye was a very intriguing dress; the actual dress seemed to be made of strings, that met up at the top of her neck in a pretty halter. As the strings reached shoulder length, however, fabric wove itself out on either side of the strings, getting broader and longer until it reached the bottom of her foot, which at that point was so long that it actually created a graceful arc behind her. Her dress had so many colours on it, it was impossible to count, as the different strings and fabrics moshed together very nicely.

Eva's eyes rested on one alien girl, who looked like a character right out of an elven story book. She was tall, her skin taking on a blue-ish hue, and one of the most beautiful beings Eva had ever seen. Her eyes were an unmistakable shade of piercing yellow, and for ears, she had two long, thin strips that seemed to stand out of her raven bangs in a slender, fitting manner, which was impossible to explain with words. On her head, she wore an amazing golden headpiece with intricate designs of red, purple, and blue. Out of the back of the headpiece, her hair dropped down to her lower waist in small pony-tails, so that Eva was instantly reminded of Princess Jasmine, a story character from the very, _very _old Earth tale Aladdin. She wore a purple and blue top, which showed her bare shoulders, yet covered the bottom half of her arms. The top started right above her collar bone, but seemed to be stuck to her skin tightly, because it did not shift or fall when she moved. Her long skirt was a mixture of different shades of blue, purple, and red.

The more Eva stared at this girl, however, the more she realized something was wrong. As opposed to the calm, serene expression Eva would have imagined such a lady to have her face was dour, as if she didn't really want to be there. Self-consciously, Eva stared again at what she was wearing and almost let out a groan.

Trent was observing the outfits as well, but he didn't have to worry about his wears nearly as much as Eva did. The different men's outfits, though different they may be, all had the same basic outline to it. Overall, he was fine. The extravagant dresses, on the other hand, all came in completely different fashions: all looked expensive, elegant, and nobody wore a mini skirt. Eva let out a tuft of air. Oh well. She supposed she would have to deal. It was just one party, right?

Eva was thrown out of thought by a sudden shove. She squeaked slightly as she was pushed back. "Oww—hey!" She insisted, but the unmistakable figure of a Crog only lumbered on past, shoving aside anyone in his way rather than asking them to move or moving around them. Eva frowned.

She was roused out of her thoughts by Trent "Hey—look! E, over there! Isn't that one of those Nourasians you were babbling about so much earlier?" Eva's eyes darted to where his fingers were pointed.

"I wasn't babbling, I was just telling you about…" Her voice trailed off, for she had indeed laid eyes on what could be nothing else than a Nourasian girl, about her age. She had long, reddish-brown hair and demure, chocolate eyes. Her dress looked like something right out of a medieval fairy-tale. It was tight at the waist, but grew long and poofy at the pleated bottom. The sleeves only ran to the elbow, but more material hung loosely from it until her slender fingertips. The color was a delicious cream, ornate with orange and blue markings. Her hair was whipped up in two plaited cones on either side of her large ears, with a long braided lock going down to her mid-back. She was smiling with undying certainty, although her expression was not stuck-up, merely enjoyable. Her tone was about two shade lighter than Aikka's, from what Eva remembered, and her face was more rounded, and innocent-looking.

Although Eva was happy to see a familiar race, she couldn't help but conceal disappointment. She had hoped…then her eyes caught the movement. The girl, who until now was conversing with another alien, the Ondai-resembling one, laughed, excused herself with a swift hand gesture, and walked away. Eva, following her movements, sucked in breath when she saw the girl stop next to an older, more weathered Nourasian that Eva instantly recognized as Aikka's old fencing master. As she watched, Canaan nodded curtly to her after she had whispered into his ear, and disappeared behind the grand curtain to the other side. Of course, only racers were allowed back here.

_But_, she thought nimbly, _if Aikka's mentor is here in the first place,_ _that _must _mean…_

Her breath caught in her chest at what she saw next. From nowhere, it appeared, Aikka came into the picture, joining the unknown girl in the place where his mentor had previously stood. She could tell it was him. He had grown an inch or two from the last year or so, and his auburn hair had grown longer, but he still had those shocking sapphire eyes that Eva never tired to gaze into. He wore something similar to his Oban clothing, but the outfit was more extravagant, in a stunning pure white tunic, accompanied with light brown pants, again, with the ornate symbols of orange, blue, and, on his, Eva noticed, gold. He still had the same smile, though, she noticed as well.

He and the Red-Haired Wonder had now stricken up a conversation, and Eva could not help the curiosity, and indeed dread, well up inside her as to the matter of the girl. Eva had, after all, chosen Nourasia as her Intergalactic Studies planet, and knew the habit of arranged marriages between them. Not that she cared, of course. But…she decided to say something. And yet, as she opened her mouth, no words came out. When she tried to take a step forward, an invisible shield held her back. Every word, every look she had fantasized and practiced speaking to Aikka about crumbled in a brittle, overwhelmed emotion she did not understand. What was she supposed to say, to do? What if…? She had not gotten to the What-If, however, before all eyes averted to the stage above them.

Following Trent's gaze—and sharp nudge—she withdrew from her thoughts to see another one of those Wheel slowly climbing up the staircase to the center of the back-stage. After a moment or two, he cleared his throat, and spoke:

"Hello, and welcome, fellow Racers. My name is Maimander, and I cannot express enough the joy I feel that you are all racing for Wheel." He said, addressing everyone with a jubilant expression. Again, Trent found himself wondering how a robot could from or emit such a feeling, but stopped thinking about it was the robot resuming.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how and when the rules of the Races will be explained to you. Terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but that will have to wait until we reach the planet tomorrow. Tonight, the Pre-Opening Ball is a chance to get to know your fellow terrestrials, who will undoubtedly become your friends, allies, and—under the unfortunate circumstance—enemies. It is a chance to relax, to get to know each other, and to reacquaint yourselves. The manner in which you will be called will be completely random, so listen carefully." He paused, and from the other side of the stage, they could hear another Wheel giving another speech to the awaiting crowd of team members. Eva tuned in to hear Maimander giving directions, and she listened intently at this point, since she had no previous experience with any type of Balls. "…And after your planet is called, you will proceed down out of the curtain down the staircases. Men to the right, women to the left please. After stepping upon the top step, please announce your name and title, and then proceed downward to take your seats amongst your teammates. After a short speech, the Ball will begin…"

Eva tuned out after this, still looking round for Aikka again. However, she was not able to catch glimpse of him through the mass alien crowd. She was, however, surprised to see the tall demeanor of a Phyl standing very close to her, and for a moment thought it was Spirit. However, at a second glance, she realized that this one was inches shorter than Spirit, his spikes more tame, and his mask was a shadowy grey, as opposed to the marble white of Spirit's. The Phyl caught her eye, perhaps sensing her gaze, and Eva felt a burst of curiosity and friendliness that she knew was being communicated into her mind stream telepathically; for this is the only way for the Phyl to communicate. She smiled at him, doing her best to show him that she wanted to be friends—for she already liked him, and she could almost see his golden eyes smile back at her—and gave him a wave. He waved back, after a moment, then motioned to Maimander, who was finishing up his speech, and looked ahead again.

Eva smiled, despite herself, for making good terms with at least one race. Perhaps the Phyl felt her inward enthusiasm, for Eva caught it giving her one last curious glance before it's eyes once again traveled to Maimander. He was already walking off though, and through the curtain, they could hear the other Wheel.

"We will now invite the Racers from the 99 joining planets, and their partners, to join us. Starting off is Planet Eleden!" Eva saw as a girl, not much older than her, rose. Eva was shocked to find that even though she was young, the girl still managed to radiate a dominating sense of sophistication and a serious, demure attitude. She strode up the steps and disappeared behind the curtain, all in a swift, confident, and ladylike manner. She was greeted with applause, and her voice rang out (Eva was sure, because of some type of technology) for the whole room to hear. "Queen Solari, Daughter of King Adeimus, now retired." There was more applause, and she could hear the Queen's footsteps as she tread down the unknown stairwell.

Even though she had just heard it, Eva was shocked to find this girl Queen. So young…the voice on the speaker spoke again.

"Next up…Nezaz." Eva saw what looked like two overgrown hair balls—one blue and one red—stand up and hop along the stairs behind the curtain. "Quintz, son of Governor Augment." She heard a squeaky, yet coarse voice ring through the auditorium, and then a much softer voice, although just as squeaky "Adiiner, niece of Reigning Minister Cheff." There was more applause, and Eva could imagine the little hairballs bouncing down the stairs. And so it continued on like that, and Eva listened and watched as many different races and planets got up, announced themselves, and left.

When it came Nourasia's turn, Eva couldn't help herself any longer. Her brain reacted on impulse. As Aikka and the Red-Haired Wonder made their way up onto the steps, she called out. "Prince! Prince Aikka!" His head whipped around, searching for the noise. His brow furrowed, and Eva could tell that he recognized the voice. Eva waved her hand "It's me!" She shouted, "It's E—it's Molly!" At the sound of her alias, his facial expression turned into a surprised recognition. "Molly?" He repeated, and opened his mouth to say more, but he was pulled by the girl beside him. She looked a little miffed at the disturbance.

"We're holding up the line." Her voice, soft and melodious, came impatiently. He nodded, and with one final glance back, retreated behind the curtain.

Eva sighed, and Trent voiced what she was thinking.

"That sure went the way you planned it." Eva could feel a heating flush spread across her face, noticing that other racers had turned to peer at her too. They seemed appalled, to say the least, by her wear. Or, at least, that's what she gathered by the many shocked and snide faces that came her way. There were some, though, who didn't bother looking at her, simply not caring, and others who had never seen a mini-skirt before, and were fascinated by the dress, thinking it formal. After all, they were not familiar with Earth wear. How should they know that her simple ensemble was not in fact one of the rarest delicacies of the planet?

After what seemed like an eternity to Eva, the racers started to thin out, and the loud ringing voice announced that Earth was next. Hastily, trying to look more confident than she was feeling, she grinned at Trent, and climbed up the staircase. She took a deep breath, and Trent held open the curtain for her as she walked through, him behind her. "Women on the right." An elderly robot, who's voice Eva recognized to be the announcer, reminded her. Eva nodded, and took her place at the top of a cascading staircase, which was large and spacious, yet seemed to close in on her. The applause seemed so far away. What if she tripped? Oh, that would be just horrible—she caught herself scanning the crowd, and found who she was looking for; Stan and Koji, giving her a standing ovation, and Rick, seated calmly in his chair, also clapping, with that "No-Sweat" gin on his face. At the look of it, Eva felt herself lighten, and took a deep breath. She looked around the room, and for the first time, noticed it's beauty. Golden and bronze tables, with their own special crystal centerpiece—Earth's was a swan—sat upon the elegantly adorned tables. There was a huge dance floor, with a buffet that took the space of the whole perimeter of the dance floor itself. The tables were each set up in rows, with a space in the middle, like an isle, where the staircases conjoined together at the base. Eva noticed that the robot was holding the microphone out for her, and she realized that she had yet to state her name. "E-Eva Wei," She started, shaky at first but gaining more confidence as she spoke "Daughter of D—" She caught herself, although just barely, and resumed "Daughter of the President." Quickly, and with none of the grace she knew the other women had, hurried down the staircase.

However, there was more applause, if not momentarily paused by the inquiring looks to her outfit, and Eva felt herself relax. She walked along with Trent, who had announced his name before her, and, at the place where the stairs met in a semi-circle, they started to walk down the isle filled with tables. Eva saw many curious glances, which she suspected were for her wear, but paid them no attention, looking straight ahead. It was only when she heard somebody breathe her name—not Eva, but "Molly!" did she look around. Prince Aikka stared directly at her, and she did not look away. He was wondering, surely, why she had not announced herself as Molly. She could explain all that later. Right now, the only thing she cared about was just seeing him again. No words needed to be said. And then she passed his table, and they lost the eye contact, and Eva very much regretted that.

They took their seats with Rick, Stan, and Koji, and Eva barely listened as Hilo, the Wheel who announced the names, started speaking again about how happy he was and explaining all sorts of things Eva didn't hear because she was too busy staring at the Prince's back, wondering if he was thinking about her, or wanting to turn around to look at her. But his face remained in Hilo's direction the whole time, and his attention, it seemed, with it as well.

The Ball must have started at some point, though, because the next thing Eva knew, people were getting up, eating, and dancing.

"Well," Trent announced. "I'm going to see if there's anybody hot here who's looking for a dance partner. See you guys." And with that he was off. Eva snorted. That was so like him. She looked to Stan and Koji, who were also getting up. "You guys dance?" She asked, and was peeved at herself to hear the air of surprise in her own voice. _They can dance if they want to!_ She yelled at herself, embarrassed. They did not seem to take any offense to the statement, though. Koji actually laughed

"Nah, but I've been dying to see the cuisine here. We're gonna get some grub."

Rick scratched his head and nodded, holding out his plate.

"Great idea. Get some for me, too, will you?" Koji rolled his eyes, but took the plate, and they left. "So," he continued. "What are you going to do, Little Mouse? Chow or dance?"

Eva felt herself slightly fluster. "Oh, I'm not going to dance, I don't have—"

"Excuse me," a voice cut in, and Eva felt her breath catch as she recognized the voice immediately. It was Aikka. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I might have a dance, Molly?"

Rick raised an eyebrow, and Eva felt herself nodding. "Yea, okay. Sure." She got up, and took the Prince's extended hand, but wouldn't move when he tried to lead her away. "Only—only call me Eva. That's my name." At his inquisitive look, she hastily added "I can explain that later. I do have to warn you, also, I've never…you know…danced…like this. Before. Ever."

He smiled again at that, and Eva was relieved. "Certainly, M—Eva." He corrected himself. He liked the way the name rolled off of his tongue, although it did feel weird using it on the girl he always knew as Molly. Three would be time for that later, though, he decided. Right now, the important thing was getting in somewhat of a dance. "Nice outfit," He added, genuinely meaning it. Although it was a bit strange…and the skirt would never be tolerated on Nourasia, she seemed to pull the look off in a classy manner. He did not know what to make of the flush that spread across of her face as he led her on to the dance floor and showed her the simple moves to the Waltz, instructing her to follow his lead.

"So," Eva started once she had stationed herself in the position she showed him, with one hand hanging onto his, and the other wrapped around his back. She felt herself blush as he placed his own hand on her waist. "What have you been up to in the past year?" She asked, to keep herself thinking other thoughts than about his hand around her waist.

"Well, the kingdom's been very busy, after, as I'm sure you'll have heard, Nourasia disbanded from their alliance with the Crog." He said this with a smug flourish that Eva expected had been there for some time. Eva nodded.

"Yes, the news reached us." She said. This was an understatement. Earth newspapers had been pressing for weeks details about the Nourasian Disbandment, and what it could possibly mean as a sign that the Crog's time was up, new potential allies, etc.

"After that, there was a war, which I'm sure you could have guessed." He resumed, and Eva expected nothing less than this from the Crogs. A ghost of a grin flickered across his face. "We won. Barely, but we won. And ever since then, life's been thousands better for the whole kingdom." He pulled her into a twirl, and when she reversed it, he held her there for a few moments. "Thank you, Eva." He said, so low she barely heard him. She blinked, but by that time they were back on the routine.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused, as he twirled her again. He opened his mouth to answer, but just then, he was interrupted by another figure.

"So sorry to interrupt," the boy started, "But may I inquire if I might be able to have a quick dance?" Eva glanced uncertainly at Aikka, and back at the boy. He was short, yet lanky, with a small patch of fur connecting his rather long neck to the rest of his body. He only had three fingers, Eva noticed, but those were all the differences she could see between them. He, after all, had two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and rather human-like ears. Eva was rather relieved that he was not so different (aside from the fur, and, she noticed, a short tail) from what she was used to. He had dark brown skin, although his fur patch was green, as was his tail. He had green eyes, and Eva was rather startled to see he had no hair on top of his head. She wondered if the fur patch on his neck counted as hair, in his society, but didn't ask. She did not want to stop dancing with Aikka, not for this.

"Actually, I was in the middle—" She started, but he cut her off.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Aikka said hastily, then added reassuringly; "I will speak with you later, Eva." And in a moment, he was dancing with somebody else, as though their encounter had never happened.

Eva blinked as she re-stationed herself with the foreign alien, and started to dance again. This was not like the familiar dancing with Aikka; she could feel his every movement against hers, and was awfully self-conscious of her mistakes, knowing that he was judging them.

Eva took a breath and tried to relax, only for her attention to be drawn near-by, where the pretty blue elf-like alien who Eva had seen earlier stood, arguing with who could only be her mother. This was obvious, because, the girl, now without a headpiece, looked strikingly like her mother, if younger, and perhaps prettier. The mother, who was older, had shorter hair, only up inches beyond her shoulders, and her shade of hair was a brown-ish black, whereas her daughter had pitch-raven black hair. The daughter's eyes also seemed to glint with something that the mother did not have, although they were both honey-coloured. Aside from this, they looked quite similar.

The mother, it appeared, was scolding the daughter, who in turn had her hands crossed and was glaring furiously back at her. Eva could not make out the source of the argument, so she dragged the boy closer to them. He obliged, following her gaze; it appeared he, too, craved to know the source of the argument.

"Honestly, Aleen, you're a princess! I don't know _what_ you're thinking! You know that you must wear the headpiece at all times! And there you go, chucking it everywhere—do you know what this could do to our reputation--?" The mother demanded angrily scolding her daughter.

"Mother," The girl spoke, and her voice was firm, although not unfeminine, "In case you haven't quite noticed yet, I don't give a firewog's HOOT as to our reputation." The mother seemed highly offended at this, because a second later, the tips of her delicate blue ears receded into a serious purple, which Eva recognized as a flush. These people blushed with their ears. Trying her best not to find that strange, Eva scanned the ground, and found what she was looking for: The headpiece which the girl had lost; purposely, it seemed. It lay discarded amongst the chairs.

Eva excused herself, leaving a very confused partner behind, and bent down to pick up the headpiece. Why the girl would discard such a lovely item was beyond her. It was by far the most beautiful object Eva had ever seen. It looked like a small, oval hat, with many adorning and extravagant symbols and designs. She figured she ought to return it to the girl.

A bit tentatively, Eva approached the two, right as the mother was scolding the girl about having to go and find it herself, when they both noticed Eva. The mother looked at her quite disapprovingly, her eyes lingering on the mini skirt, and she shot Eva a glance that could possibly have been the most accusing she had ever been given, aside from that of the Headmistress at Stern Boarding School. Then she noticed what was in Eva's hands, and her eyes widened.

"I, uh, found this. Is it yours?" She asked the girl, not wanting to converse with the unpleasant mother. The girl didn't answer her, but looked at her sour faced. It was the mother who nodded, and grabbed the headpiece from her. "Thank you, young lady." She said empathetically, in a much kinder way that Eva would have expected. "Aleen would do well to learn from your example. You're so very pretty, you know." Eva grinned shyly, and the girl, Aleen, seemingly unable to take it any longer, stormed off, headpiece under arm.

Eva darted after her, confused at what had just happened. "Wait!" She shouted, and she was surprised to see the girl pause and turn. "What was that?" She demanded, slightly confused, but very hurt. "I found that for you and you just storm away?"

The girl—Aleen, stared at her for a couple of seconds. "Thanks," She said, her voice dripping acid sarcasm. "For returning my prison." And she was about to turn around, when Eva caught her arm. Instead of being angry though, Eva thought she heard some remorse and bitterness in Aleen's voice.

"What?" She asked, her own voice portraying curiosity. The fact that Eva's hostility died down seemed to have calmed the girl, as well.

"I-I'm sorry." She started, "It's just my mother is so frustrating sometimes—I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. Thank you for returning my…possession." Eva stared at her for a moment or two.

"You're still not going to wear that thing, are you?" She asked carefully, not wanting to upset the girl again.

Aleen grinned widely, the first time Eva had seen her do so all night. "Not a chance." She half-whispered, half declared. And they both broke out into a fit of giggling.

"Well, I'm Eva." Eva introduced herself, holding out her hand. Aleen shook it, with a firm grip, and replied;

"I know. We all announced our names, remember?"

Eva shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention." She admitted, but then added quickly "I know _your _name, of course, Aleen." Aleen shrugged. She was staring at Eva's skirt. Eva rolled her eyes; this thing was just causing trouble after trouble for her.

"I like it," She told Aleen, her voice sounding more defensive than she meant it to. "I know it's not really appropriate, but I kind of under-packed." But to her surprise, the pretty alien shook her head.

"No, I love it." She said, and Eva could tell it was true by the way she regarded the skirt. "If my mother ever saw me wearing it…could I borrow it sometime?" She added as an afterthought, and Eva couldn't help but laugh.

"Your mom didn't seem that bad," Eva lied. Aleen snorted.

"Please. She was only complementing you so that you wouldn't go telling people what a terrible Princess I am and how it would ruin our good impression." She made a face as she said it, and Eva knew it was not to make her feel bad.

"Why would I do that, though?" Eva asked, and for the first time that evening, Aleen regarded her as if she wasn't sure if Eva was joking or not.

"You're…the President's daughter, right?" She asked strangely, and Eva felt herself nodding to the lie.

Aleen shrugged, "You know how it is." And Eva heard herself give a slight "Yea," although she really had no idea what that meant, nor did she think she wanted to know.

For the rest of the evening, Eva stuck to Aleen. They avoided the dance floor, mainly because Eva did not want to dance with anybody other than Aikka, and because if Aleen's mother saw her without her headpiece on again, "all of Hell would freeze over," as Aleen put it. The more time they spent together, the more Eva liked Aleen. She learned a little about Aleen's culture, and how the Headpiece represented one's coming into royalty, and Eva understood now why Aleen refused to wear it.

Aleen had made it all too clear for Eva that she did not want to be a Princess; she did not enjoy being a Princess, and so, whether her mother liked it or not, she would never _be _a true Princess, and would never be Queen. At one point in the evening, Eva got introduced to Aleen's gunman, Linius, and was appalled to learn that Linius got treated with none of the respect that Aleen got, although the two were good friends. Eva had also gone and dragged Trent over to meet Aleen and Linius, and before the Ball was over, they had all become good friends. Or at least that's what Eva hoped. She had tried to look for Aikka again, but he spent the rest of the evening with his Red-Haired Wonder, so she got no chance to speak with him.

Before she knew it, there was an announcement that all Teams should return to their seats. Eva and Trent bid good-bye to their newfound friends, and took their seats besides Stan and Koji. Rick appeared, too, and took his seat beside Eva.

Hilo was at the speakerphone again. He cleared his throat twice, and then began:

"My fellow Racers, fellow pioneers, fellow Comrades. We now bid the Event of the Pre-Opening Ball good-bye, as tomorrow we reach the new and exciting world which I know you are all dying to see—the world which I am proud to call Wheel. But before we proceed, I must warn you of the dangers that the beautiful and fruitful planet of Wheel sustains; as long as you remain where you're supposed to, and stay out of out-of-bounds areas, of course, you should be fine. However," his face took on a terrible look of sheer knowledge, then, that which made Eva feel very, very stupid, "I must warn you, that if you see or hear something you should not have, and are maimed for it in any way, the Wheel cannot and will not take any responsibility. Enter, at your own risk." His face lifted into that friendly smile again, though, a second later. "But, no, no, we shall not have to undergo those fateful circumstances, shall we?" He chuckled a bit, and Eva squirmed, uncomfortable.

"Anyway," he continued, quite oblivious to her uneasiness, "We will be arriving on Wheel tomorrow afternoon—during which time the racers will start—yes, on that very same day! So be sure to get a good night's rest, and eat a whole breakfast! We look forward to seeing you race, and appreciate that any one of you could, indeed, be our new allies! We value you all!" And with that, he turned, and walked behind the curtains.

Everyone else seemed to see that as a dismissal, because people started to walk, hop, float, and hobble along the crowded exit towards the living quarters. Eva couldn't help smiling as she and her team walked along, joining the masses of aliens.

The Ball had been wonderful; so what if her attire was less than fitting? Aleen had promised to lend her clothing for the next one. She had reacquainted herself with Aikka, made two new friends, and, for the first time since Oban, she felt that she was where she belonged. Not on Earth, where people undervalued and extinguished the chance to know other cultures. Why, Aleen lived only a Solar System away from Earth, and on her planet, they had exchange students from other planets all the time. Apparently, it's not uncommon. Why couldn't Earth be like that? Why so isolated from other terrestrials?

The closest Eva got to seeing aliens is during Interplanetary Racers, which she was not even allowed to enter until she was legal, at seventeen. True, it was only a year, away—but still, a year! Why not now? She was racing here; they all were, at a young age!

She felt a sudden spur of affection, and was so glad that she had chosen to race, despite having to pretend to be the President's daughter. Eva was not very fond of him. Not at all…Eva was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she did not notice that they were already at the room.

Hastily, she murmured good nights to Stan and Koji, who were in the room next to hers' and Trent's, and to Rick, who got his own room behind theirs.

After she had washed, put on her pajamas, said good night to Trent, and the lights turned off, Eva was still awake. She lay there, in her sheets, which were just the right thickness, head on her pillow, which was just the right amount of fluffiness, thinking, when her thoughts were interrupted.

"Eva?" came Trent's voice from across the room.

"Yea?" She asked back, her voice hazy with sleepiness.

"Thanks for bringing me," He said, in a serious tone that was not at all in his character. "Really. This is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. I'm really happy."

And Eva agreed with him, this was fantastic, and amazing, and perfect.

"Yea, me too." She said, and turned over noisily, to show him she was going to sleep. He got the gist. Eva heard him turn in his own bed. She had expected to stay awake awhile longer, but she drifted to sleep almost immediately.

She dreamt of snobby mothers turning into Red-Haird Wonders, who were dancing with Princes and gunmen who laughed, and of alien-student exchange programs being headed by her Stern Boarding School Headmistress, wearing a gigantic headpiece that seemed to be apart of her. She dreamt of herself, feeling the cool blade of a gear stick, or the melodious hum of an engine as it burst into life. She dreamt of exploring unknown places and finding the perfect gift for her friend. She dreamt of winning Earth the Wheel's alliance.

And as she dreamt, she was blissfully unaware that the Avatar deity that was watching her, at this moment, had so much more than that in store for her.

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(1)--- Nourasian days only have 22 hours in them, so 19 would be "8" converted to Earth Standard Time. 

(2)--- EST is Earth Standard Time, if you couldn't figure that out

**A/N: **Well, that's that! wipes sweat off of brow That was possibly the hardest chapter I've had to write, since there are so many new aliens and such. I hoped you liked it, because it took _forever _to write**. DON'T FORGET, R&R!!!!**


	6. An Unexpected Twist

**Disclaimer:** 89 of teens prefer to eat a large bagel for breakfast instead of a smarter, healthier choice of whole wheat toast. I own nothing from Oban: Star Racers

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**A/N:** Whoa! I bet you're all thinking: "ZOMG Andrea's **alive**!?!?" And I don't blame any of you one single bit. It's just that this is my very first freshman year of high school, and my very first time attending a public school, so I've been busy trying to get myself in order. I also feel that I should apologize to everybody, since it wasn't only school that was keeping me away. Instead of meeting my obligations as a writer, I have been indulging on watching all 51 episodes of Rave Master and some .Hack//Legend of the Twilight episodes on youtube, and I apologize for it. It just really helps me think.Besides, I have a certain weakness for those animes, and I haven't watched 'em in awhile. I was cleaning out my room, found an old R.M. manga I hadn't touched in a few years, and re-fell in love with the plotline. I love Haru-san all over again now[chokes him to death in a hug Seriously. What a cool dude. [clears throat 

On a slightly different note, I've just checked the Oban Fanfiction forum, and it seems I'm not the only one who's vanished. So, yay for that! There are all new people and all new stories, so yay for that too! New people, please review!!! Although read through the whole thing first, or you seriously won't get any of it. That might take awhile, as this fic is turning out to be an epic novel [he he…not my fault. Also, the return of Fjord! For those of you who even remember him from the first chapter, that is…he's just one of my favorites, and he ties into the story really well. So I'm using him a lot more.

Also, I decided that I'm gonna make my chapters shorter. This is for a couple of reasons:

The only reason that I made them long in the first place was because I didn't want to end up with like 50 chapters, and STILL not be done with the fic TT I'm over that now.

Lets face it—it's just an easier read for everyone (including me, since I proofread every chapter)

I just don't have the time to write 20 pages per chapter any more. Sorry guys (or your welcome, if you find it a relief of some sort!)

This does not mean they're gonna be like two pages. Don't worry, I don't completely disregard my readers like that. No, they'll be 7-10 pages at most now. Shorter, but they get more action packed as we go along. I'll warn you guys ahead of time if there's going to be a long chapter, like the _Belle of the Ball_.

**Note: Listen, guys, this may sound like a lame excuse, but this is the first chapter I've written in awhile, so it might not be as good/grammatically correct as my other ones. Sorry in advance! I'll try to get back in my writing groove.**

Uhm, well, that's all I gotta say other than enjoy the next chappie!

**APurpleAvacado** Actually, I was watching my brother play World of Warcraft when I thought Aleen up. Her anatomy is mostly the same, although the ears and some other minor details are a little different. Plus, I incorporated other elements from other books I've read into her. She's going to be a main character, so I spent lotsa time on her.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-** Thanks! The whole "aikka's-fiancee thing is pretty overused, huh? That's why she's _not_ his fiancée! You'll find out who she is soon. I'm glad you liked the chapter! I'm also happy to see that you updated your story, which is Uber-awesome, may I add. I'll have to find some time to review to it...although I don't possibly know where to begin, it's so wonderful. Keep it up!

**RomanticAngel: **Ah, well, this fic is probably gonna be an A.xE fic, because I honestly don't see the Avatar being able to, er, "marry" anybody. But you never know what I'll come up with :K You probably won't like Aikka's Red-Haired Wonder, even if she isn't his fiancée. She may be getting in the way of you Aikka/Eva dream!

Well, that's all I gotta say, other than the usual begging for reviews;

**R&R!!!**** Seriously. Don't make me get Shuda in here!**

And don't think I won't know if you don't review. There's no way I have like a thousand [exaggeration hits but no reviews. But still, the ratio should add up.

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**An Unexpected Twist: Sudden Death Elimination! **

Eva was awoken from her slumber the next day by an odd drilling sound. She groaned, tossing over and pulling her pillow over her head, willing the sound out of her system. However, soon the whole room was shaking slightly, and her attention zipped up at a large crashing sound from the room over. Removing the pillow, she raised her head upwards. This was greeted by a gruff;

"Oww, Stan! You fell on top of me!"

Followed by a series of grumbles and "Hmmm? Well, it's your fault for choosing the bottom hammock."

"I didn't think you would _fall_ on me!"

Eva sat up, not realizing the hilarity she might have seen in the situation were she any more awake. However, even in her half-asleep state, she did notice the buzzing and vibrations growing stronger. It took her another moment to realize that it was the _ship_ making these movements. 'What could be happening?' she thought curiously, fully awake by now. On the other side of the room, Trent groaned slightly and sat up

"Who's shaking the room?" He asked lazily. Eva shook her head, unable to say. "Well, it's giving me a killer headache." He grumbled, stretching his arms out, and giving a yawn.

"Hey guys, you're up too." Koji's voice drifted from the other room, and both of them walked into Eva's and Trent's room.

"Well, how can we sleep with all that noise and shaking?" Trent shrugged, pulling the covers off of him and folding his legs over the bed. "You think that Rick's awake yet?"

"I woke up a while ago, actually." Came Rick's cool voice, not sounding the least bit as groggy with sleep as the rest of them. Everybody's heads turned to Rick's bedroom, which was all the way in the back, to find him casually leaning against the door frame, an amused grin on his face. He had clearly seen the bed-heads at their worst. Eva was about to ask if he knew what was going on, when the loudspeaker sounded again.

"Good Morning, Contestants! I trust that you have all slept well. We have arrived on Wheel, at an estimated 0:34:12 seconds ahead of time! This is good news. Please do not mind the mild turbulence, that is simply the ship setting into charger mode. In just a few short hours, the Races of Wheel will begin. I will request that all crewmembers report to the Cargo Hold to see that your ship is in order. In only a few short minutes, pilots will be escorted outside by an attendant to go to the Breakfast House. The attendant will knock on your door to signal his arrival, and you may step outside any time. Please, leave all your luggage in the ship. When you return in the evening, they will already be in your Team's living quarters. Have a good day!"

As Dellinious was talking, Rick gave Eva a solute, and headed out the door to attend to the _Windbreaker_. The door slid shut behind them, and once Dellinious had finished speaking, she plopped herself back onto the bed, still her in pajamas. Trent had already pulled on a black T-shirt and red basketball shorts, but Eva hadn't even thought about getting dressed. Hastily, she went into the bathroom and washed up. While she was getting dressed, she heard a knock on the door from outside.

"Yo! Eva, the attendant's here. You ready yet?" Eva hastily pulled over her shirt and placed her infamous pink and white goggles atop her head, before throwing her reflection a wink.

"I'm gonna win this one." She said, promising her mirror self. Then she opened the door and replied "Ready!" while swinging the main door open. As promised, there was a sleek robotic figure waiting ever patiently outside of the door. Although, it was taller in frame than Honig, and a bit lankier as well. However, unlike Honig's rusted, copper finishing this robot seemed to have a newer, silver shine to it. It looked up at her as she and Trent walked out of the room, and began to speak.

"Ah, you must be Eva Wei of the Earth Team. I have heard many wonderful things about you. Allow me to introduce myself, I go by the name of Fjord, and I am to be your guide throughout the competition. Please, if you will…" he gestured towards the end of the hallway, indicating that they should start walking.

"Oh, um, right! Sorry, Fjord, it's very nice to meet you. I'm kind of spacing out today. I'm not really a morning person, y'know?"

Fjord tilted his head. "Not…a morning person? Meaning that you dislike the early time of day, because you malfunction. I believe I understand. But perhaps you will feel better after some breakfast?"

"I second _that_ notion." Trent cut in. "My stomach has been arguing with me for the past half hour. How far is the Breakfast House from here, anyway?" Fjord smiled, or that's what it looked like. The silver fringes on his mouth plate shifted upwards, which created the image of a smile.

"It's just beyond the ship. You'll see when we get there." Trent nodded eagerly, but Eva was already looking around, seeing other Teams emerging with other robot guides. Not many of them were in any sort of conversation, however. Eva took this time to observe the different forms and colours of the Wheel. She saw different shades of bronze, silver, gold, copper, and even a tad bit of a cerulean colour that blended with them.

"Hey, Fjord…" She wondered, trying to break the silence, but not wanting to be too loud, as nobody else was really talking. "How come there are some robots that look really beaten up, and others that are sleek and shiny, like you?"

Fjord looked at her, mildly surprised by her sudden question, however he answered her question after a moment or two. "The very old robots are made out of different aluminums and coppers, whereas the younger robots are Created from newer materials, so our appearance is more becoming, I suppose."

"Oh. So you guys are created? By whom?" Trent asked, the idea popping into his head.

Fjord laughed. It was a harsh, bark like laugh, but enjoyable nonetheless. "By elder Wheel, of course. There is a certain sect of Wheel, who study and learn to build parts to complete us. They are called Creators, because they create the physical body we live in. When our old bodies become inaccessible, or as you humans would say, when we "die," the Creator will detach our soul from the body and place it with our newer ones."

Eva was dumbstruck. "Detach your soul?" She repeated. "That sounds awfully harsh. Does it hurt?"

Trent, however, was deep in thought. "He doesn't mean it like that, E. He means that when they die, their souls get transferred into a newer body. Sorta like reincarnation. You do mean reincarnation, right?"

Fjord frowned. "Reincarnation? I am not familiar with this term. However, your assessment of the Creator Cycle is accurate. It is a difficult process, and not everybody makes it. There are perhaps 2 Creators for every 36 Wheel."

"But, that would mean…that you guys never die? I mean, you 'die', but you just get new bodies again. So, like, even if your body is only one year old, the soul inside is like eighty or something?" Eva said slowly, working this out in her mind. This was not the type of thinking she liked to do in the morning, but the topic intrigued her.

However, before it could continue, Eva was greeted by many gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and many "Oh, my!"s from the other contestants. Drawing her attention away from Fjord, whom she had been focusing on, she looked around to realize that they were on the main deck, and the scenery of the planet around them had become visible.

To say that Eva was shocked would be a massive understatement. She gasped, she really couldn't help it, at the sight in front of her. She had imagined a hard, rather desolate mechanical planet. After all, what would be a more suitable place for a race of robots to live? However, the sight that she was could be described as the exact opposite.

The sky took on a purple-red hue, and had three suns in the air. Or, at least Eva assumed they were suns. They really just looked like orbs of pure white light—but way to bright to be moons. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, however there were darker and lighter patches of colour in it, as though the whole thing were an oil pastel painting. The landscape around her was even more beautiful than above. The earth was a dull maroon colour, although it looked beautiful fitted with the snow white grass around it. There were some strange flowers that Eva had never seen before in her life, that were so many colours she wasn't even sure if she knew all of them. The leaves on the trees were occasionally green, although they were mostly blue or yellow.

"Eva! Check it out!" She heard Trent's voice calling her, and looked to find him at the edge of the boat, wedged between two people. "Come look!" He called, oblivious to the stares he was getting. Eva rushed over and peered on the other side.

"Whoa!" She said, staring at the scene below. The water here was nothing like it was on Earth. It was a sort of pale-red orange-y colour, although it was crystal sea through at the same time. You could see little patches of yellow shrubs on the bottom, and even some of the odd creatures that inhabited the ocean. "This is so cool." She said in wonder.

"Yes, yes, Wheel is a beautiful planet. But, please, we must get going." Fjord's voice cut in, and Eva reluctantly drew her eyes away from the magnificent scene.

"Okay…" She sighed, a bit downcast. The beauty and serene of the planet overwhelmed her, but in a good way. She and Trent followed Fjord down the ship, still looking this way and that. However, they were squashed between an army of contestants, so they did not exactly have all the leisure in the world.

Fjord had been right; They barely crossed up the first hill when they saw the huge building in front of them. It was dome shaped, the front made completely out of glass, and the other half looked like something similar to iron, but she had never seen that metal on Earth before, so she figured it must be an alien-based metal.

Fjord spoke again. "Eva, and Trent of the Earth Team. You will go into the Breakfast Hall and have time to eat for about an hour and a half, and directly after the announcements will be made regarding the event of Races. Please, have an enjoyable time!" As they reached the entrance of the vast dome, the Wheel stood aside on either side of the massive door in straight lines, clearing a path for the contestants to walk through. The door slid open as people started to pile in.

The inside of the building was just as cool as the outside. The walls and floor were a creamy yellow sort of colour that Eva couldn't place, and the furnishing was very…exotic. All of the tables conjoined with the walls, and were a silvery shimmery colour. A huge buffet table was coming out of the wall on one side of the room, stretching all the way from the beginning of the wall to the end of the wall, which must have been over 3 miles, by Eva's count. The room was huge. On the other side, there were smaller clusters of tables. For chairs, there were little floating white disks that floated in midair.

"Eva!" Eva turned her attention to the sound of her voice, which was being called by Stan. He, Rick, and Koji were already sitting at a table with another team, what could only be the figure of a Byrussian. Eva couldn't imagine that the hoverdisks could sustain that much weight, but apparently they could. "Over here!" He called, and Eva nodded towards him, dragging Trent, who was eyeing the food hungrily, along.

Koji, Stan, and Rick already had a plateful of different foods which Eva had never seen before. She was something that had the shape of a pear, but was orange and fuzzy. When Koji bit into it, she could see the dark blue colour of the fruit beneath the skin. Was that really safe to eat? Eva turned her attention to the Byrussian sitting on the other side of Rick. "Hi." She said brightly. Byrussians were known for their kindness and openness, so this was one alien party Eva felt more than comfortable talking to.

"G'morning, little lady." The large male replied in a cheery tone. He had watery grey-blue eyes and blond hair. His actual hair was covered by what looked like a large, orange ski hat, but he had a distinct blond beard and moustache jutting out. He looked to be in his late thirties, and wore a sort of jumpsuit. It compiled a large blue jacket, with yellow lines across it, with a matching pair of pants. His shirt was a vast stretch of cloth, in a pale sepia, made from a material Eva couldn't place. "How old're you?" He asked curiously.

"Sixteen. In, uh, Earth years." She added, just in cases he wasn't familiar with it. The Byrussian seemed to calculate for a moment, before slapping his head on the table.

"Well, that's just about Pasha's age, isn't it?" Seeing Eva's puzzled expression, he laughed. "Pasha's the pilot representing Byrus. She's also my niece." He added proudly. Then, seeming for forget the new guests, he laughed loudly, so that a few faces turned to see what the sound was. Seeing it was only a jovial Byrussian, and nothing worthwhile seeing, they went back to their business. "Oh, where are my manners! I get so carried away, you know…I am Barrack, Chief of Racing Management. I train the youngin's how t'race." His wide grin faltered a little, and he looked like he was about to say something else, but then it was back again and he laughed some more. "Well, I'm sure Pasha will be here any moment. You can met her then. She's a great sport, you know. So lively…"

Trent started to fidget. "That's great it's very nice to meet you can't wait to see you again Eva let's go get some _food_!" He said the last part urgently, and Eva rolled her eyes, but she was hungry, too.

They made their way towards the buffet table, and Trent instantly disappeared from Eva's side and into the fray of choosing food. Eva, on the other hand, took her time surveying each food, before finally selecting one of the Orange-Pears she had seen Koji eat, and some rolls that were stuffed with something she didn't know.

"Hey, Eva!" Eva's head turned, yet again hearing her name called, but this time by Aleen. Just like during the Ball, Aleen's hair was up in a ponytail. She was making her way towards Eva, with Linius by her side. "D'you mind if we sit with you? Things are getting awfully obnoxious back at my table…"

Eva grinned at her friend. "Not at all. I was just heading back myself. You're not gonna have anything to eat?" Aleen shrugged.

"On my planet, we don't have breakfast." She explained. Eva found this a bit odd, but she supposed she wasn't one to judge other's rituals.

"Mmm. Plus, Aleen doesn't wanna be near the guy our mom wants him to marry." Linus added in, causing the tip of Aleen's ears to turn the furious shade of fuchsia, in the odd blush that her kind had.

"Shut up, Linius." She snapped, but he just laughed at her, and soon she was laughing along with him. Eva was giggling herself, so much so that she didn't really notice where she was going, and accidentally shoved into somebody else.

"Oh! Sorry about that, I just—" She stopped talking when she received a withering glare from the girl that she had shoved. She was tall, maybe 5"9 or 5"10. Her skin was a pale yellow, and her eyes were a cold shade of icy pink. Her hair was also yellow, but it was a much darker shade than her skin, so that it looked almost bronze coloured. It was woven and tied together in two buns behind her head in a red material, and she wore a simple white sleeveless gown, tied together by a red sash that looked like something similar to silk. She didn't say anything to Eva, but continued to glare at her. For Eva, that spoke more than words. Her glare was already sending the "I'm-better-than-you" vibe, and she actually took the time to scoff at Eva. Aleen noticed this.

"Hey, it was a misunderstanding. There's no reason for unpleasant behavior as the reaction for an accident." A low growl emitted from the ground, and Eva's eyes were drawn to the floor, where what could only be the girl's pet was glaring profusely at the lot of them. It looked like some weird mix of a bunny, a cat, a dog, and a scorpion. It had a dog's muzzle, but car ears. The body was that of a normal four-legged animal, although it's long tail was spiked upwards just like a scorpion's, and it's feet looked suspiciously like a hare's. The girl was unfazed by this, however, and turned away.

"Come, Nuff. We haven't the time to deal with vagrants today." She huffed out, as if it pained her to bother speaking to them at all. Her voice was soft and melodic, but held no real emotion in it. The dog…rabbit…scorpion…thing that was with her shot one more glare at the lot of them before trotting off after his master.

"What was that about? Who was she?" Eva wondered. What a sour girl. Aleen shrugged.

"That was Serphie. She's the daughter of the Head Councilman on her planet, I think." Aleen said, racking her memory. "If I'm right, that is. I've heard a lot about her, but it's never really added up. Some people think she's an angel, and others absolutely hate her."

Linius snorted. "I think we know which one she is." Aleen and Eva both nodded their agreements.

"Lets just go back to the table." Eva sighed, wanting to just forget all about this girl. "Oh, and, there's this girl racing from Byrus, too. I think her name was…Pasha."

Aleen grinned. "Byrus? You mean…the planet, that…you know. Got totally annihilated?"

"Wow. Way to put that in gentle words, Aleen. Why would you even bring that up?" Linius scolded her seriously. Aleen shrugged. "I'm not going to say it to her face. And besides, everybody's been talking about her, lately, anyway." She huffed, pouting at being yelled at. By her Sharpshooter, no less.

"Why is that?" Eva asked, interested. However, they had reached within earshot of the table already, and the girl was sitting there. Aleen gave her a "tell-ya-later" look at took a seat besides Trent. And so Eva began with the introductions. "Rick, Stan Koji—Aleen and Linius. Aleen and Linius—Rick, Stan, and Koji." Eva sat besides Aleen, and Linus between her and the Byrussian girl, who indeed introduced herself as the pilot, Pasha.

She had a large brown vest on, made of what looked like leather. Underneath, she wore a pink dress made out of a strange material that Eva couldn't recognize. The dress was more like a connected shirt and skirt. On her feet were two combat boots. She had a sash strung around her waist, with a large, thick sword hanging limply on her left. She had bright orange eyes, and dirty blond hair wrapped into three separate braids. She was much smaller than her Uncle, but still rather large. She might have been 5"5-ish, from what Eva could tell. Just like the other two Byrussians Eva had met, she had that same, jovial expression on her face.

The group commenced in small talk for a little while, and Eva found that she rather enjoyed her strange fuzzy pear. It was very sweet, and very filling. She caught glimpses of the other contestants better now. There were a bunch of them who's anatomies were remarkably alike to one another. Eva caught the glance of the Phyl she had spoken to earlier at the Ball, and he waved at her before going back to his table, his golden eyes gleaming. Eva loved how she could almost him smile with his eyes. She also spotted Serphie again, with a large crowd of people behind her, but the girl did not meet Eva's eye. Eva also glimpsed the Prince, but he was with his fencing master, and the Red-Haired Wonder, so she decided against going up and talking to him just yet. It would be rude to her other friends, anyway.

Rick and Barrack were having a rather pleasant conversations about racing, Aleen was busy ogling at Trent, whom she had developed a crush on, Eva realized. She chuckled slightly, wondering what Marissa might think of it. Trent was still stuffing his face, but also had some input in the conversation. Linius noted that Trent ate too much. Pasha smiled shyly; she had turned out to be really nice, and Eva rather liked her. She was soft-minded and very sweet.

It was when they heard a bell-like sound that everybody's heads turned to the front of the room, where the buffet table was, their conversations ceasing to jitters, then whispering, and then dying away completely. Eva looked over to see the buffet table disappearing into the wall, and a robotic figure making it's way up to the now-empty space in the front of the room.

"Hello, friends! It is with great pride that I welcome you to my beautiful home planet, Wheel. I am Ellipse." A soft female voice sounded, her vocals reverberating off of the walls to create a sort of echo. The voice sounded as if she were in her mid-thirties, but after what Fjord had told Eva earlier, she wasn't too sure about how old any of them were now. "You have all waited patiently for the beginning of the Races of Wheel! And all of you, I have no doubt, will soar to victory in your own way! However, only one may be the winner. Before we start with the actual race, there is a…procedure that needs to be done. At this moment, there are many different representatives from 99 different planets. By the end of the next day, only 18 will be left."

This caused a sudden clamor, and even Eva doubled back. More than three quarters of contestants eliminated in one day? The whispering and gasps carried on until Ellipse held her hand up for silence. She looked around the room once before continuing.

"Here is how the Races and Preliminaries will be run: The 99 planet's delagites will face off in a single race, whose course and challengers are selected at random. The aim is have the most points when Time runs out. All of this will be explained at the actual race, later today. No second chances, no redos. This is Sudden Death Elimination. The preliminaries will end when there are only 18 teams left. Those 18 will be the ones who actually participate in the real Races of Wheel, and will be split up into "tag-teams" for 7 more racers until only two pair remains. Those four racers will then have one main conflict with each other in 3 individual races to find out who the grand winner is. That person will be named the Best Racer in the Quatrum—and win the Wheel's alliance and support. I wish you all good luck. Now, for the first race." No sooner had the word "race" left Ellipse's mouth, a large, black screen the size of a billboard lowered down from the wall. "This board," Ellipse explain "Will decided where each race is and who is going to be racing. Observe." She took out what appeared to be a small, round metallic lighter from behind her, and flipped over the cap. However, instead of a flame, there was a small red button. She clicked it twice. The screen hummed for about ten seconds, before showing an ocean landscape.

"The first race will take place in the Anui Gorges, out near the Kunriai Ocean, where the ship docked." She clicked the button on the lighter again, only this time she only clicked it once. "And the first Planet or System to participate in the Preliminaries is…"

There was a humming sound for about five seconds, before a strange symbol appeared on the black screen, in a neon lime colour.

"The Srior Republic!" There was a slight whispering around the room for about ten seconds, before everybody quit again. Ellipse pressed the button on the screen again.

"And the planet that will be going up against them, is…"

The humming noise sounded again for five more seconds, and an all-too-familiar symbol flickered onto the screen.

"Earth!"

* * *

**A/N: **There's not a lot of action in this chapter, this is just really to get familiar with some new faces that'll be appearing a lot in later chapters, and also to get familiar with their personalities. Aikka doesn't have a part in it…but he'll be in almost every single chapter after this, so…bear with me here. Next chapter, we meet: Shadow, Dellude, Aikka's "mystery person" [refusing to give name and a bunch of other supporting characters xD 

Um, okay. So. You will be seeing more of Serphie, you can be sure of that. And next chapter I think I'm gonna introduce the mysterious Red-Haired Wonder. my next chapter should be up within two or three days. YEY! Also, I promise that I won't totally vanish like I recently did. [bows to all my readers I am so sorry, again! That's all, folks ;) **Review please!**


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